


Don't Stop Believin' in Fairy Tails

by seismicmuffin



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drama & Romance, F/M, Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-27
Updated: 2016-07-07
Packaged: 2018-04-06 09:14:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 55,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4216014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seismicmuffin/pseuds/seismicmuffin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Modern AU. A country girl runs away to the bustling city hoping to start a life of adventure and excitement. Will she find what she's looking for? Mostly NaLu. Rating for language/violence/sex [later chapters].</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Want to Break Free

**Author's Note:**

> I would greatly appreciate any comments/suggestions/criticisms, please be gentle though! It is my first time after all ;-)
> 
> Hiro Mashima has the honor of owning Fairy Tail...I am unworthy T_T

The sudden crackling of thunder startled Lucy Heartfilia from her frenzied thoughts and caused her to drop her backpack on the floor next to her four-poster bed. The young woman felt a shiver down her spine as the windows of her bedroom rattled ominously.

"Perfect. Just perfect."She muttered as her finger lifted the edge of the curtain to peek outside. There was a light sprinkling of rain starting and she knew if she didn't leave now she would be caught in a terrible downpour.

She sat down on the edge of her bed and sighed deeply. "Why did a thunder storm have to strike today, of all days?" She questioned the shivering lump hiding under the bed sheet next to her. A low whine was the only response as she gently snuck her hand beneath the cover to scratch the little dog under his chin. After three months, all of her careful planning was about to be undone.

"Oh Plue, what should I do? I wasn't prepared for  _this._ " The young woman was a meticulous planner; she'd had all the details of this day written down in her journal for weeks. Her father's meeting schedule, which servants would be present in the house and on the grounds, the distance and time it would take to reach the train station, heck, she even noted what time the mail carrier arrived every day. Not once did she even consider that a sudden, freakishly big storm would appear on the horizon that morning and slowly creep its way closer to her home.

_Home._ She thought. _More like prison. Or the pen where they placed the cows before slaughter._

Lucy snorted at her dark thought; she normally wasn't such a morbid person, but lately she really had been feeling that way. As if she was some kind of animal; to be sold to the highest bidder for whichever purpose they desired. In her case, the purpose was marriage and the winning bidder was a prominent figure in a wealthy and well-known family from a neighboring country. She only met him the one time and he was far from what Lucy had ever imagined in a boyfriend, let alone the man she'd marry. Just trying to picture the look on the face of her intended husband when he discovered that she was long gone was enough to get her mind off depressing thoughts and back into the current situation.

_I have to do this today No chickening out. I'm taking control of my life this very moment; I'll no longer let anyone make my decisions for me, not my father or a fiancé I barely know and certainly not a little rain._

Just then, another loud rumble shook the windows and the little white terrier jumped nervously into her lap. She stroked his ears lovingly, "I'm sorry I have to leave you at a time like this Plue. I promise you'll be taken care of; Mrs. Spetto would never let anything happen to you", she whispered to the dog.

With one last pat on the head, Lucy stood and placed him under the covers once again. Without looking back, she grabbed the backpack that had fallen next to bed and slowly closed her bedroom door with a light snap. Virgo, the head maid, wouldn't be coming to check on her until a few hours from now. If all went according to plan, by the time the maid realized the heiress wasn't in the house, Lucy would be seated on the three-o-clock train heading West at 150mph, with no one at all knowing where she'd gone and no clue where to start looking.

Her father, Jude Heartfilia was scheduled to be at a very important meeting around that time and he always left his cell phone in his suitcase with the ringer off until the business was completed. Lucy was positive he'd be oblivious to the situation until at least six that evening. He wouldn't make it home until around seven and by then, she'd definitely be out of his reach.

After the bedroom door snapped shut it became eerily quiet in the long hallway. It might have been unnerving to some people but Lucy was used to it. The only sounds this house ever heard was the soft shuffling of the various servants' shoes. At least, that's how it had been since her mother had passed six years ago. A sharp pain stung the girl's chest thinking of the activities associated with her mother's memory. Playing dress up and performing shows for the maids when her father was out. Singing and dancing in the rose garden. Playing pranks on Mrs. Spetto and laughing like maniacs when she chased them through the house. They had even convinced the stuffy butler Capricorn and shy maid Aries to play hide and seek with them once. It had been such a happy and carefree childhood. And now look where she was…

_Dammit, Lucy, this is not the time for a pity party. Get your shit together, girl. This is the most crucial moment of "The Plan" and you're dredging up sappy memories. Okay, focus! Just need to make it down the stairs, through the kitchen and out the back door. Not that hard. Everyone should be in their normal positions so I can to slip out quietly._

Mrs. Spetto would be in her office right now, likely on the phone discussing the next week's events with a member of Lucy's future household; tediously hashing out the various mundane details of the upcoming nuptials. It was also the first Wednesday of the month, which meant the maids, Virgo and Aries would be on the third floor meticulously dusting and freshening up the rooms for the next two hours until dinner. Lucy had no clue why her father even bothered with making them do it; it's not as if anyone ever went up there. Capricorn would be making his daily rounds throughout the estate, checking in with the groundskeepers and taking down any information that might need to be passed on to Mrs. Spetto or Lucy's father. There shouldn't be anyone present downstairs or in the back garden to spot her making her escape.

Before heading down the stairs, Lucy peeked out the nearest window. What she saw was not promising. The world had turned gray and in the distance she could see lightning flashing dangerously. Another deafening crack of thunder caused the girl to jump.

_Great, it's getting closer._   _Capricorn might decide to cut his rounds short thanks to this storm; I need to do this now, and fast._

She turned away from the window and padded softly down the stairs. When she reached the bottom she made a sharp right turn into the hallway that lead to kitchen. She had nearly made it through when the sound of voices reached her ears. Quickly, Lucy made another sharp turn around the corner and found herself in a small bathroom. Shutting the door slightly, she listened intently all while cursing her terrible luck.

"Oh I'm so very sorry!" came a soft voice. "The sudden thunder frightened me…I didn't mean to knock you into that vase! Mrs. Spetto is going to be so upset with me…"

_It must be Aries and Virgo._

"Stop apologizing! I'll take the heat from the old woman…really it was an old, ugly thing anyway. Mistress Layla hated it…"

"But you cut your hand! I'm so sorry!"

Lucy let out a low sigh. She knew Aries would continue apologizing to Virgo for the next week. She stifled a chuckle. The two maids couldn't be more opposite from one another. Aries, timid and soft spoken while Virgo had a stiff personality and was a glutton for rules and punishment. Lucy heard the sound of running water and someone shuffling through the cabinets.

While the two maids continued their conversation, Lucy glanced towards the bathroom mirror and tried not to laugh. She looked nothing like herself. If anyone saw her right now they'd probably think she was a burglar. Virgo wouldn't hesitate to kick her straight through the wall. The only part of her features that looked like herself were the large brown eyes. She couldn't exactly hide those under sunglasses on a day like this. The girl stiffened against the counter when she heard the maid's voices get louder. Lucy prayed vigorously, hoping they would simply walk past the bathroom and continue on their way upstairs. They were still talking when they passed the slightly open door, but the conversation had changed subject.

"Virgo, what do you think will happen to us? When Miss Lucy leaves? Do you think we'll get to go to her new home with her?" Lucy could imagine the look on Aries' worried face as she asked the question; it must have been bothering her quite a lot for her to voice her concerns out loud.

"I doubt Miss Lucy's future husband has any need for more servants in his household, but…I'm sure they will allow her to take Plue at least, she'll be terribly lonely without him. I hope she's going to be okay, it must be so scary…" The voices had gotten softer as they walked farther down the hall and began ascending the stairs. Lucy could just barely make out the rest of their words.

"I can't even imagine…hey, we should ask Mrs. Spetto if we can do something special for our princess before she goes, to show her how much we'll miss her…"

The two maids had finally gone beyond earshot and now was Lucy's chance. But she couldn't bring herself to move. The young girl's fists were clenched and she was biting her lip in an attempt to keep from sobbing. A single, hot tear ran down her cheek and soaked into the cloth of her black hoodie. Her mind was filled with the memories of her servants, no,  _friends_. Mrs. Spetto, Virgo, Aries, Capricorn and all the others. They had been her constant companions throughout childhood; they were the rays of sunshine that shone through the dark clouds of grief after her mother's passing.

_I'm going to miss you all so much…I love you dearly, my friends, I'll never forget you. Please forgive me for leaving without a proper goodbye._

With that last thought, Lucy forced her body to move. She gently pulled the bathroom door open and continued her way through the kitchen. After stepping outside, she made her way to the back edge of the garden. This spot wasn't visible from anywhere in the house and it's where she had decided to make her move. There was an old, vine covered lattice perched against the wall; the perfect makeshift ladder. Lucy placed her feet carefully on the wood and slowly began her ascent. Reaching the top, she tossed her backpack on the ground and swung her legs over.

After a not-so-graceful landing, she gave herself a moment to gather her thoughts properly.

_The rain isn't so bad right now. I'm still making good time. Just need to get to the bike and then I'll be golden!_

She made her way quickly past the edge of the wall and along a dirt road that led towards the orchard. Coming this way brought on more memories of her late mother. Lucy had loved taking walks through the rows of apple trees with her; sometimes they would bring a blanket and lay in the grass until nightfall, gazing at the stars and giving themselves stomach aches from all the fruit they consumed.

_Stop getting distracted!_ She scolded herself as she came upon a large cluster of branches leaning against a tree. If she hadn't known any better, she might have thought they looked natural there, nothing out of the ordinary at all. She quickly went to work, uncovering her hidden treasure. Once it was revealed, Lucy pulled her hood over her head and made sure her backpack was secure around her shoulders before straddling the bicycle. She cursed herself for not thinking of securing a backup mode of transportation.

_Biking through country roads in a thunderstorm_ ; _what could possibly go wrong?_ Lucy sighed to herself and began to pedal. It was three miles to the train station, Lucy had estimated she could get there in 25 minutes give or take. She didn't have much experience riding a bike, let alone in the rain so she hoped her calculations weren't too far off. After a few minutes of heavy pedaling, the runaway heiress passed the large sign that declared she was now leaving "Heartfilia Estate".

Lucy's heart was pounding so hard she thought it might burst. Was it from the sudden exercise or something else? Something she'd never experienced before? A wide grin spread across her face, she'd never felt so alive before in her life.

_Is this what freedom feels like?_


	2. I've Just Seen A Face

A sudden bright flash followed by the crack of thunder brought Lucy out of her reverie.

_Oh, no I'm almost there! Just wait 10 more minutes you stupid storm!_

The runaway had been pedaling like a mad woman for almost half an hour now. Huffing and puffing she tried to stifle her negative thoughts.

 _I really underestimated my stamina_.  _This is a lot harder than I'd imagined…could this get any worse?!_ Apparently, it could.

Right after her hypothetical thought, nature decided to answer. The storm abruptly overtook the young woman, drenching her. Lucy didn't know whether she should laugh or cry at her situation.

_Definitely laugh. Crying is for the old Lucy._

Not long after the rain hit she reached the train station. Slowly rolling up to the rack, Lucy dismounted from the bike. Walking through the doors, she was careful to look as though she was in no hurry.

"One ticket for the three-o-clock train heading west, please."

While the man at the counter exchanged the young girl's money for a ticket, Lucy caught her reflection in the window. If anyone came looking for her, they'd be carrying a picture of a bubbly blonde with a bright smile. Lucy couldn't hide the fact she had a pretty face but she'd done her best to conceal it underneath a dark wig and some heavy eye makeup. Now, thanks to the rain, the eye shadow and liner she'd carefully applied earlier had started to smear down her cheeks. Paired with two layers of clothes, the outermost being an over-large sweat shirt and jeans, the only word she could find to describe her current look was  _sloppy_. If any of the travelers at the station had any passing thoughts about the girl standing on the platform, none of them were attached to the image of an heiress.

After boarding the train and finding the most secluded seat, Lucy finally managed to relax a little. She would be miles away before anyone realized her bedroom was empty. They might spend a good hour or two scouring the house and grounds for her presence before they began to think something was out of the ordinary. It wasn't the first time Lucy had snuck out of the house but her little adventures usually didn't take her this far. Most of the time she would meet up with her friend Yukino and they'd get drunk in the orchard, or they'd bribe one of their drivers to take them to a late-night party in the nearest town.

Lucy thought it was unlikely her father would involve the authorities when he eventually found out she was missing. Journalists would certainly worm their way into the investigation and  _this_  would warrant front page news. Jude Heartfilia would eat his own arm before he let anyone pick apart his private life and smear it across all forms of media.

The train lurched forward and Lucy dug into her backpack, pulled out her music player, placed the little buds in her ears and pressed "play". She let the music drown out the noise of her fellow passengers as she watched the countryside flit by outside the window; imagining what kind of future was in store for her now.

* * *

When her father announced the engagement all those months ago, Lucy could only feel dread and the terrifying sensation of drowning. It might not have been so unbearable if she had been given any say in the matter. She could understand the position her father was in…a little. It would be extremely advantageous for his daughter to marry someone from a family that was equally as rich and important as theirs. Lucy had grown up surrounded by other young men and women in the same situation as her. She knew the names and faces of them all and had even made an effort to get to know a few of them better, like Yukino Aguria.

Lucy might not have taken such drastic measures if her father hadn't been so forceful and self-serving. About six months ago he had begun making business ventures into the neighboring country of Bosco and forging friendships in some of the highest political circles. It was around that time he hosted a party at the Heartfilia estate where Lucy was made to put on a show of introducing herself to the sons of important strangers. One of those sons had been Mard Geer, his father was a high-ranking official or business man or something, Lucy honestly didn't care. The guy was a jerk. Physically, he wasn't unattractive, but as soon as he opened his mouth Lucy wished she could stuff something down his throat and choke him with it. He was the most pompous and insufferable  _asshole_  she'd ever had the misfortune to spend an evening with, and it really had been a  _whole_  evening; her father made sure of that. She should have realized his designs sooner, but her head had been spinning just listening to the boy's poisonous musings.

The rulers of Bosco enforced strict regulations on nearly every aspect of its peoples' lives and it seemed they intended to keep it that way; at least that's what Lucy gathered from her companion that night. Everything about Fiore displeased him, with the exception of a certain blonde heiress. He had been a perfect gentleman to Lucy, complimenting her appearance and style of dress, he even questioned her about her various hobbies and interests.  _How could someone with his good social graces be such a snake?_  She'd wondered. It had made her sick.

Not long after that, Lucy's father informed her that the Geer family had made an offer for her hand in marriage. It was shocking, to say the least. The two neighboring countries couldn't be more different in many ways; it was rare for anyone to reach a mutual decision that suited both equally. It truly was a testament to her father's brilliance in business and politics; Lucy had no idea of the particulars but she was sure Jude Heartfilia would benefit greatly from the proposal. She was told that the decision was final and in no less than three months Lucy would be a married woman, living in Bosco,  _and there's nothing you can do about it._ Her father hadn't even bothered to look her in the face the whole time he'd been speaking.

 _We'll see about that._  She'd thought venomously, and with hot tears stinging her eyes, the door of her father's study had been slammed shut.

* * *

Six uncomfortable hours later, Lucy had reached her destination. She stepped onto the platform and quickly looked around. It was past ten at night but the train station still seemed fairly busy. Lucy needed to find a bathroom badly; she hadn't dared to remove her disguise on the train and by now her wig was hot and itchy.

_Will I even find a place where my change won't be noticeable?_

Lucy was sure the train station had surveillance cameras and she didn't want to risk being seen on any of them looking like her normal self.

 _Maybe I'm being paranoid...no, better safe than sorry._ She let out a sigh.

Locating the exit, Lucy stepped out into the cold night air.  _So this is Magnolia..._

She inhaled deeply. _Hmm, kinda smells funny._

Looking around she noticed there were clusters of people standing on the sidewalk outside various businesses, some even shouting across the street to one another.

_Geez, isn't it the middle of the week? Don't these people have jobs to go to in the morning? I guess it's true what they say about cities never sleeping._

Lucy had read about Magnolia being famous for its nightlife but she hadn't really been sure what that had meant. Now, walking down the street, she was getting a better idea. With a population of over three million, Magnolia was one of the largest cities in Fiore. It was a well-known tourist attraction thanks to its twenty-four hour casinos and huge shopping malls. Lucy thought it was a great place to start her new life. So many opportunities; she could do anything she wanted. But first, she needed to get over the culture-shock. Never having been to a city of this size before, Lucy was experiencing a whole lot of new things. They assaulted every one of her senses. Flashing neon signs above every door; rowdy men and scantily clad women adorned on the sidewalk, car horns were always honking and a constant stream of music blared from the various shops.

When she finally spotted an opportunity the young runaway quickly took her chance. Casually strolling down a dimly-lit alley between a hole-in-the-wall cafe and a pawn shop, she shed her wig and tossed it into an open dumpster. Bending over, she ran her hands through her blonde locks and sighed at the refreshing feeling.

_Now onto the next step, I need a place to stay. At least finding a motel here won't be so hard._

There were flashing 'vacancy' signs on practically every corner. Lucy continued walking down the various streets looking for a decent-looking place to crash for the foreseeable future.

_I might have run away from home but I won't lower my standards so easily._

It didn't take long to spot a promising location; it was small but looked well taken care of. Lucy walked inside and rang the bell on the counter, summoning a middle-aged woman with large, thick rimmed glasses. After some negotiations and insistence that she was a good tenant and not another 'punk street urchin' (as the landlady had so eloquently called her), Lucy ended up paying for a week's stay and was given a plastic key card to enter her room. It wasn't anything special, but it would do. She even had a window that overlooked the busy street. Lucy sighed and spread herself out on the bed. It wasn't her large four-poster but she wasn't about to complain. She was _free._ The word bounced around and echoed in her brain; Lucy was smiling into her pillow but was soon interrupted by a low-growl coming from her belly.

_All the excitement of the day and I barely thought to eat anything._

She vaguely remembered buying a ham sandwich from the food cart on the train.

_That was like four hours ago…I really should get some food; if I wait I'll only be hungrier in the morning._

After her long trip, Lucy wasn't even that tired. She'd dozed off a few times during the long train ride and now the adventurous feeling of being in a new city was keeping her eyes from wanting to close. She decided she'd have plenty of time to sleep later; it was the first night of her new life and she didn't want to spend it in a quiet motel room.

Shedding her clothes she hopped into the bathroom for a quick shower; wanting to freshen up before she hit the town. Emptying her backpack on the bed, the blonde studied her options. Lucy really had a thing for clothes; she had spent an agonizing three hours in her room deciding on what to bring. Eventually she'd had the clever idea of wearing a few extra items during her escape. At least, Lucy thought it was clever. Really, if she was being honest, after Plue, she missed her large walk-in-closet the most. In addition to the sweatshirt, jeans and sneakers Lucy had been wearing that day; she had managed to bring another pair of pants, a jean jacket, one set of shorts, a casual dress, three shirts of various designs and her absolute favorite pair of ankle-high boots. Lucy had even managed to tuck a small bag of makeup and a roll of money inside a small purse and as many pairs of underwear possible into the backpack as well; she was quite proud of herself. After some deliberation, Lucy decided to wear her dress paired with a jean jacket and her boots. When she finished applying a bit of light makeup she studied herself in the mirror. She didn't look like a runaway or an heiress. She looked a lot like the young girls she saw around her hometown.

 _Casual, feminine, innocent;_  she thought.

Hoping she didn't look  _too_  innocent for a night in the city she counted out a decent amount of money (she had no clue how expensive anything was) and put it her small purse along with her key card and a few other small essentials. Lucy closed the door of her room, strolled down the stairs and into the lobby. The woman at the counter raised her eyebrows with a questioning look when she saw the girl's new style but decided to say nothing.

 _I don't look like a scruffy street punk anymore now, do I?_  She chuckled as she pushed through the door.

Lucy decided to continue down the direction she had been going earlier. It was just past eleven-thirty at night now but the streets were still as active as they'd been when she stepped into the motel. A few blocks down she noticed the crowd slowly getting thicker.

Across the street on the corner was a large, two-story, brown building; the structure looked quite old but the large neon signs were definitely newer. The largest of the signs, obnoxiously bright and crimson, announced the name "Fairy Tail" in an elegant script. Along the side was a marquee advertising the names of bands and events accompanied by dates. Beneath the marquee a large group of people had formed a line that spread around the corner and spilled into the street at certain spots. She noticed a few men in black sleeveless shirts and jeans yelling at some of the rowdier members of the crowd, telling them, with many expletives, to line up properly and quit blocking the road or they won't be allowed inside.

Not long after Lucy had stopped to stare at the building, a fight broke out towards the front of the line. From what she could tell, a member of the crowd had been denied entry and as retaliation decided to insult the 'manliness' of one of the bouncers. The bouncer in question had been sent into a fit of rage at the comment and quickly pounded his fist into the other man's nose. Why anyone would willingly antagonize such a large and muscly person she had no idea. The two men were now rolling on the ground and spouting curses while another bouncer and a few other witnesses tried to pry them apart.

If Lucy hadn't been so entranced by the brawl (she'd never actually seen one in person) she might have been able to react more quickly to what was about to happen. She suddenly felt a hard yank on her arm as the strap of her purse was pulled from her grasp; the action pushed her forward and the girl let out a loud shriek of surprise.

"Kyaaaaaaaa!" Lucy had at least managed to put her hands out in front of her to stop herself from face-planting into the street. She felt the sting of the impact on her palms and knees and strangely, a light breeze on her back. Lucy let out another yelp when she realized her dress had managed to fly up past her backside so that she was now on all-fours presenting her ass to a busy sidewalk.

_Stealing my stuff and humiliating me at the same time?! You're not getting away with this!_

"Get back here you son-of-a-bitch!" She yelled in the direction the assailant was running. He hadn't gone far yet and Lucy had never been one to give in easily. Yanking her dress down, she launched herself after the jerk that had just stolen her purse. He had sprinted across the street and was about to round the corner into an alleyway when Lucy saw a pink and black blur connect with his body. He was launched into the street with a loud thud. The hood he'd been using to cover his face flew backwards to reveal his identity.

"Bora, you bastard! I said I'd beat you bloody if I saw your ugly face again!" With those words, a tan fist connected with the thief's jaw. He retaliated with a punch to the gut that allowed him to roll over on top and swiftly place another punch, this time to the face.

 _Oh no you don't!_  Lucy ran forward and planted a firm kick right into his ribs, causing him to slump forward with a loud groan. At this, her rescuer took the opportunity to slam the other man back onto the ground and proceeded to continue his threats; each one emphasized with another punch to the face or body.

Now, Lucy could only stand and stare at the one-sided fight while she tried to calm her thoughts. Judging by the threats "Bora", wasn't a first time offender. Lucy didn't understand why he hadn't stayed away…he was pretty recognizable with dark blue hair and a tattoo above his right eyebrow. He would definitely stand out no matter where he was. Speaking of which, her rescuer would be easy to spot anywhere as well, seeing as he was sporting  _pink_  hair.

Lucy snorted. While she mused on the strange fads of city people, the fight had finished. The blue-haired bastard was now being carried into the alleyway by the pink hero, who unceremoniously dumped him next to a trash bin. After placing a parting kick to the thief's side, he walked over to where Lucy was standing.

"That was a pretty awesome kick! I can't wait to tell everyone that Bora got his ass beat by a girl!" He said as he handed back her purse with a wide smile.

"Thanks…I couldn't let you have all the fun, could I?" The man had an infectious grin and Lucy couldn't help but smile back. She noticed he was wearing the uniform from the bar around the corner and asked "So are you a security guard or something? It sounded like you've dealt with him before."

"Oh that guy? Yeah, it's been a few months since I saw him but he likes to prowl this area. Seems to think there are a lot of easy targets on this street." Lucy couldn't help but notice his dark eyes appraising her. "You're not from the city, are you?" He asked.

_Yep, the outfit was too innocent; I must look like I hopped straight off a wagon or something._

"Is it really that obvious?" Lucy frowned. "I actually just got here about two hours ago. I was looking for a place to eat when that jerk attacked me." When Lucy mentioned food, she could almost hear the young man's stomach growling; giving her sudden inspiration. "Hey, why don't I treat you to a meal? It's the least I can do for you after you rescued my purse."

Lucy didn't think it was possible for his grin to get bigger, but it did. He rubbed his stomach, "That's really nice of you; fighting sure does make me hungry! I know a great place nearby too, wait right here!" Lucy watched as he ran back towards the bar and got the attention of another man in uniform. During their short talk, the two men glanced and gestured in her direction a few times, making her more than a little self-conscious. After a few minutes, he trotted back to where she was standing, with the wide smile still on his face. "Alright, we're good to go." He gave her a thumbs up.

"Don't forget to use protection!" Someone shouted from behind them. Lucy looked back in the direction of the crowd and saw the dark-haired man her companion had spoken to smirking at them.

"Shut up! I'm not a pervy bastard like you!" Lucy laughed at the indignant look on her new friend's face as he showed the other man his two middle fingers. He turned back around and looked at her. 'Just ignore Gray, he's a dick. He's just jealous he didn't get to beat up Bora!" He did a little fist pump in the air and then gestured for the girl to follow him.

Lucy laughed. "Alright…so that was Gray, he obviously works with you, the loser was Bora and you are…" The blonde looked up at him expectantly.

"Oh shit, I thought I forgot somethin'!" He stuck his hand out for her to shake. "The name's Natsu. Nice to meet ya!"

She laughed at his enthusiasm and took his warm hand in hers. "I'm Lucy."


	3. Come Together

"I'm Lucy." Right when their hands met a group of bikers pulled up to the curb next to them and revved their engines obnoxiously.

"Eh, what'd you say? Your name's Loony?"

"No, it's Lucy!" The bikers dismounted and were already talking loudly to another group of people on the curb.

"Alright, whatever you say Loony." He was wearing the most irritating grin the girl had ever seen.

She stomped her foot and glared at him, "My name is LUCY! Now are we getting food or what? I don't feel like standing on the curb all night!"

"Haha oh right…I don't have a lot of time anyway, Gray said he'd cover for me but he can't keep Erza busy for too long…" Natsu shuddered when he said the name. "Follow me, I hope you like Indian food!"

They walked around the corner and down the block to a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant. The shiny yellow sign outside boasted: "the spiciest BBQ in Magnolia". Natsu ordered for the two of them since Lucy had never eaten from a place like this before. After she paid they sat down in a plastic booth and Lucy nearly choked on her first bite of the curry Natsu had ordered for her.

"Wow they weren't kidding about spicy!" she spluttered after gulping down half a glass of water.

"Ah sorry…I ordered my usual, I guess I should have told them to go easy on the spices since you're a newbie. I can get you something else?"

"Don't worry about it…I think most of my taste buds were just burned off so the rest should go down easier." Chuckling, she took another bite. She still needed the assistance of water but now that she knew what to expect she was able to appreciate the flavor. "You were right, it is really good. I'll have to come here again."

He seemed pleased when she said that and he had absentmindedly rubbed the back of his neck, ruffling his hair.

 _A cute gesture_ , she thought.

Finally being in a place with decent lighting, Lucy was able to properly survey her new acquaintance. She'd already noted his hair (which was _not_   _pink, dammit it's salmon!)_ and tan complexion _._ He was average height, about a head taller than herself, with a lean build and nicely developed muscles. It was hard not to stare at them thanks to the sleeveless shirt he was wearing. After watching him fight earlier she honestly wasn't surprised.

_I guess working security at a popular bar keeps you pretty fit._

She assumed he spent a lot of time outdoors and he had more than a few scars, most notably a large one on the right side of his neck.

After a few moments of contentedly chewing her food, Lucy decided she wanted to get to know him better.

 _And not just because he's smoking hot, he helped me out after all; he seems like a really nice guy._ She told herself.

A few things she learned from their short meal was that he'd been working at Fairy Tail since he was a teen. Starting out as a bus boy he'd quickly proven himself worthy of filling out other various positions such as bartender, bouncer, disc-jockey…apparently anything that didn't involve an open flame or electricity.

"I started a fire once and they've never let me back in the kitchen since. Erza almost skinned me alive…even though it was a total  _accident_." He explained with a sheepish grin. "I don't really mind though, cooking food is boring but eating it is a whole different story." After a short pause he asked, "What about you? Didn't you say you only just got here?"

"Me?" Lucy squeaked. She hadn't prepared herself for any personal questions. "Well…umm…"

"Wait, let me guess. You ran away from home because you want to be a famous actress!" Exclaimed Natsu. When Lucy didn't answer he continued. "No...how about singer? Model?" While flattered at his assumptions, Lucy only stared at him in amusement, enjoying the guessing game. "Uhh…race car driver?" After a few more guesses that included occupations ranging from food truck operator to circus performer, Lucy finally stopped him.

"Actually I have no idea what I want to do. I came here hoping that some experience would help me realize my dreams. A small town girl only has so many options…" Not entirely true. Her last name could open all kinds of doors; Lucy didn't want that though. Even if her father had encouraged her to follow her dreams, instead of forcing her into a marriage, there were very few people that would refuse a Heartfilia.

"Hey, I just got a great idea! I'll help you get a job at Fairy Tail! You'll fit right in; we're like one big family!"

Lucy blushed. It was a kind offer but…"I've never had a real job before…I don't have the first clue about bartending or waiting tables…"

"So? Everyone has to start somewhere. You said you wanted experience right? Then come with me!" Natsu stood and tossed their empty food cartons in the trash bin. Lucy felt a huge smile spread across her face at his enthusiasm.

_I'm so glad I didn't stay in my room all night._

Lucy followed Natsu back out into the nightlife of Magnolia. In the short time it took for them to eat the streets had calmed down slightly. Only a few people remained outside the large brown building where they were headed. Lucy could practically see the walls reverberating with the sounds of ear-shattering music coming from just inside the double doors. Underneath an awning, she spotted the dark-haired man from earlier smoking a cigarette.

"Took you long enough, dumbass. Get lost on your way back?" He sneered. In addition to Fairy Tail's standard uniform he was wearing a metal necklace that resembled a sword, a chain attached to the belt loops on his pants and an intimidating tattoo snaked up his right arm. Before Natsu could reply, he looked over to Lucy. "So did Bora give you brain damage when he knocked you over? That's the only reason I can think of why anyone would want to hang out with Pinky here."

Lucy laughed. These two were obviously rivals or something. She didn't get a chance to answer though because right at that moment a very large man with spiky white hair burst through the doors and launched another man into the street.

"Puking at the bar is not manly! You'll come back when you're sober and apologize to Mira!"

"Yeah you tell 'em Elfman!" Natsu slapped the large man on the back and gave him a high-five before trying to spar with the man himself.

Lucy turned to the man next to her and asked, "Is it always like this? I mean today is a Wednesday right?"

"It's actually Thursday if you want to get technical, but yeah most of the time. Last call is two A.M at most places, but some bars are open twenty-four hours. The Thunder Gods are playing tonight and they're kinda a big deal here at Fairy Tail so everyone came out to see 'em. I'm Gray by the way." He put his cigarette out in an ashtray and shook Lucy's hand while she introduced herself.

A moment later they both heard a yelp and turned to look back at the scuffle happening a few feet away. The man named Elfman had Natsu, whose face was turning purple, in a head lock. After an intense struggle, he raised his hands in surrender and was released. The two men then shook hands and the winner went back inside the bar with a big grin while Natsu was left panting on the ground.

After he recovered, Natsu turned back to the two standing near the door, "Yo Gray, where's Gildarts? I need to see about getting my new friend a job."

Gray studied Lucy for a moment. "A job? Here? You look like you should be working at a mall or something."

Lucy didn't like the tone he used so she puffed out her cheeks and glared. "Looks can be deceiving!"

"Yeah don't forget she chased Bora half way 'round the block. I bet if I hadn't gotten to him first Lucy here woulda curb-stomped his ass!" Natsu gave her a thumbs-up complimented by a toothy-grin.

"I guess I can believe that. That look on your face right now _is_  pretty scary." Lucy continued to glare as Gray turned to Natsu and shrugged, "last I saw Gildarts he was hovering around Cana at the bar."

With that, Lucy was pulled through the double doors by her wrist and promptly assumed she'd been forced into another dimension. The place was huge and filled to the brim with sweaty bodies; she could feel the bass of the music resonating in every atom of her body. Towards the back of the room she could see a long bar in front of a fully stocked wall full of bottles, people were lined up calling out the names of the bartenders hoping to catch their favor and order a drink. Tables and chairs were scattered haphazardly throughout the edges of the large room where more people were sitting with their food. The largest crowd had gathered in front of the stage and were either cheering on the band or moving in tune to the music. There was an open second-floor where several people were attempting to sit on the railing and occasionally someone would get jostled and spill their drink on an unsuspecting person below them which caused more shouting to be added to deafening din.

On the stage stood four people; the front man of the band, who was tall, muscular and blond was jumping up and down to the rhythm of the music and singing loudly into the microphone while twirling his guitar, a woman with flowing brown hair and wearing a green crop top paired with a matching mini skirt was situated behind a keyboard stand and singing backup vocals, to her left brandishing a bass-guitar was a slim fellow with waist-length light-green hair and finally the drummer, a dark-haired man with broad shoulders and a facial tattoo seemed to enjoy wagging his tongue at the audience. Behind them on the stage was a large black banner that read "The Thunder Gods" in spiky gold script and was embellished with lightning bolts.

While Lucy tried to absorb all these details Natsu continued to haul her through the crowd. Finally reaching the bar he said, "Wait right here Lucy, I'm gonna go find my boss! Hey Mira can you get my friend a drink?" Lucy could barely understand him as he tried to make himself heard above the general ruckus caused by the electrified horde of people behind them.

At Natsu's request, a beautiful barista with long white hair approached the newcomer from the other side of the bar. "I'm Mirajane but you can call me Mira. It's lovely to meet you, Natsu's friend! What can I get for you?" She was wearing a sweet smile but Lucy saw a mischievous glint in her eyes when she'd said the words 'Natsu' and 'friend'.

"Umm what would you recommend?" Lucy had never actually had the chance to order from a bar before; every time she'd drank it usually had been from bottles stolen by Yukino out of her parents' liquor cabinet.

"Hmm I bet you'd like something sweet; I know just the thing!" And with a wink, Mira whisked away to other end of the bar. A few minutes later, she returned with a chilled glass topped with raspberries. The light pink liquid immediately brought to mind Natsu's hair and Lucy glanced up to see Mira smiling widely.

She took a sip and exclaimed, "Oh wow that's really good, thank you!" Mira gave her another wink and waved to someone approaching Lucy from behind.

"There you are Natsu! I thought you might have forgotten about your pretty _friend_  here." The young man was seemingly oblivious to the emphasized word as he put a hand on Lucy's shoulder and directed her attention to another, much older man.

"No way Mira! Here Lucy I want you to meet Gildarts, my boss. Gildarts this is Lucy!"

Lucy smiled and shook the offered hand of the man in front of her. He looked to be in his mid-forties with slicked-back shoulder length orange hair and was yet another tall and muscular example of all the new guys she'd seen so far that night.

_Do they have a rule around here about muscle definition? Like a sign that says, "You must be under this percent of body fat to work here." or something..._

Her thoughts were interrupted with a series of gruff questions.

"So you want a job, eh? Ever tend a bar before?"

"Er…n-no…"

"What about waiting tables?"

"Umm…I…"

"Well you're certainly not security material…can you cook?" When Lucy shook her head he fixed her with an intimidating stare. "Have you ever even had a job before?"

"N-no…b-but I…uh…I-I'm a fast learner! I'll work very hard…I p-promise!" Lucy blushed profusely at her stammers.

After a few moments of silence and more staring, the man's face split into a wide grin. "Well then you're hired girly!" He laughed loudly and patted her shoulder in a rough manner. "I had you good and scared just now didn't I? You looked like you might pee yourself in that dress!" He continued laughing obnoxiously; Lucy didn't see what was so funny and decided to ignore the man's rudeness.

"Thank you so much, you won't regret it!" She gave him her sweetest smile.

"No I'm sure I won't…" Gildarts gave her another appraising glance and said, "You heard me Mira! Get Blondie here a uniform, she starts training Friday."

Natsu whooped loudly and pumped his fist in the air, "Yosh! Told ya Luce, you're gonna love it!"

Mira was grinning next to him, "Welcome to Fairy Tail!"


	4. The Impression That I Get

"Welcome to Fairy Tail!" Mira beamed at Lucy. "I'll be right back with your uniform!"

While Mira disappeared into a back room, Natsu got Lucy's attention by putting his arm around her shoulder. "This is gonna be great! I'm-"

"Hey Natsu! Erza alert! You better get back to your post before she sees you screwing around." The speaker was a pretty girl about Lucy's age with short white hair, she was carrying two round trays stacked with empty glasses over to the bar.

Natsu's face paled. "Shit!" Addressing Lucy he said quickly, "Are you gonna stick around? Once the band's done it'll get pretty slow so we can hang out for a little bit."

With the look he was giving her, she couldn't say no, even if she'd wanted to. "Yep, I'll be here."

"Cool!" And with that, Lucy could only stare as he sprinted to the other side of large room and out the doors.

"I'm Lisanna." The white-haired girl said. "Mira's little sister. She said you just got hired. I'll probably be the one to train you, I'm looking forward to it!" Lucy returned the girl's smile and shook her hand as Mira reappeared with a large bag; the family resemblance was uncanny.

"Here you are! I gave you a few spare shirts since things can get messy around here sometimes, especially when you're new. You can wear skirts, pants, shorts…whatever, as long as it's black. Adding some personal flare to your outfit is encouraged." Lucy saw that Mira's "personal flare" for the evening was a bright red, studded belt, a matching head band and…stilettos? When she saw Lucy staring, she laughed, "Don't worry you're not required to wear heels, I'd recommend you start with something comfy with good grips until you get used to the walking." She gestured to her sister's outfit. Lisanna was wearing a pair of light blue high top converse and had adorned her wrists with many silver bangles.

"Great! I love any excuse to go shopping!" The girls all laughed and Lucy filled out her meager contact info on an employee worksheet; she listed her name as 'Lucy Ashley' which matched the fake I.D. she'd obtained before leaving home. After making a mental note to get a cell phone and more permanent residence as soon as possible, she laughed at how easily a job like this had fallen into her lap. She'd expected to be roaming the streets of the city for weeks, and here she was fresh off the train and already employed and meeting a ton of new people. She couldn't believe her luck.

Mira had brought Lucy another drink before her and Lisanna returned to their work. Lucy sipped thoughtfully; enjoying finally having a quiet moment to herself. She took note of the people who would soon become her coworkers. One of the women behind the bar, a brunette, seemed to pour more alcohol for herself than any of the customers. She received generous tips regardless, probably owing to the fact her uniform was at least two sizes two small; allowing a decent amount of cleavage to spill over. A stern-looking red-headed woman seemed to be everywhere Lucy looked; she'd spotted her off to the side of the stage, at the front doors, in the kitchen; all the while barking orders at anything that moved. Currently, she was on the second-level threatening people to get off the railing before she beat them senseless.

 _That must Erza, the person Natsu was talking about, no wonder he was afraid._  Lucy noticed that she didn't come to the bar to boss anyone around; she assumed that it must be Mira's domain.

Gray had recently joined the two women behind the counter and began serving drinks with his shirt off, attracting more than a few female patrons. One of the waiters approached Lucy and introduced himself as Loke and insisted on sitting and talking with her for a good ten minutes before Mira spotted him and finally shooed him away.

As Lucy finished her second drink, the band announced they were playing their final song. She was really enjoying the music, it wasn't like anything she'd listened to back home. It was energetic and loud and made Lucy want to jump into the crowd and start pushing people. She wasn't the only one; more than a few skirmishes broke out; mostly due to someone's girlfriend getting shoved on accident or being too close. Now that there were hardly any people outside she could see Natsu and another bouncer, a man with wild dark hair, breaking up some of the scuffles. Occasionally Guildarts would get involved or the extremely large, muscly Elfman she'd seen earlier, who happened to be another of Mira's siblings.

After many cheers and shouts, the loudest coming from Mira, praising the band's performance, the crowd began to slowly file outside. The sound system was switched over to a radio station while anyone that wasn't on security detail quickly gathered up any remaining glasses and took them to the kitchen, where Lucy could only assume was a huge industrial size dishwasher. She watched chairs and tables being righted and wiped down, the floor being swept and the band quickly packing up their instruments before returning and sitting at the bar. Mira had already seen them coming and had a few drinks ready.

A chorus of "Thanks Mira," echoed from the band members as they enjoyed their drinks before the green-haired man gushed, "Wasn't Laxus amazing tonight? I think that was our best performance thus far."

Mira nodded enthusiastically, "Oh yes Freed, Laxus put on quite a show!"  _Are those -sparkles -in her eyes?_ Lucy wondered.

"I agree, except for Bickslow slobbering everywhere, I mean really do you have to be so crude? I've had to clean your spit off my keys too many times to count." The drummer shrugged and stuck out his tongue, earning him a hard slap on the arm.

"Ouch Evergreen, no need to be rough, I'm not Elfman ya know, besides, Lisanna doesn't mind my slobber, do ya _baby_?" The man had grabbed the nearby barista and pulled her to him; the poor girl flushed a brilliant shade of pink and stuttered furiously. She had suddenly remembered something very important she needed in the kitchen and rushed off.

"Maybe we should make him wear a helmet from now on." Everyone in the vicinity laughed loudly at the blond man's comment, startling Lucy.

She was sitting on the other side of the bar and exhaustion was finally creeping up on her. She'd no idea what time it was, seeing as how there was no clock anywhere. She was just about to nod off when someone called her name.

"Yo Lucy, havin' fun yet?" It was Natsu, followed by several other people. It looked like most of the closing preparations had been finished and everyone was gathering around the bar to discuss the events of the evening.

"Oh yeah, I've never seen so many fights before. I even saw one between two girls, that was kinda scary."

He shrugged and laughed, "You'll get used to it. Anyways I wanted to introduce you to everyone. I think you've already met these guys," he gestured to Gray, Loke and the three white-haired siblings, "over there is Laxus, Bickslow, Evergreen and Freed; their band is pretty badass," then pointing to a table where three men were sitting, he continued, "that's Sting, Gajeel and Rogue; we're in a band too and we're even more badass!" A few people raised their voices at his comment but he ignored them, "I'll tell you all about that later, let's see, over there is Cana, don't let her make your drinks or you'll end up looking like her," the brunette in question was currently slumped over a table and snoring lightly, "Oh yeah and Erza! She's the manager; you don't want to get on her bad side!" He had a strange look on his face when he said this as if he was remembering something very frightening. "We have other people on opening shift but this is mostly it for now." Lucy smiled at everyone and received a few waves and polite greetings when Natsu mentioned their names.

Suddenly, Mira appeared in front of them. "So Natsu, tell us how you two met!" Her eyes were sparkling again.

"It was really funny! I saw her underwear -well, not just me but the whole street actually!"

Complete silence greeted this statement and then a loud shriek erupted from the blonde standing next to him.

"EXCUSE ME?! You say that like I did it on purpose! I was trying to forget about that actually so thanks for blabbing to everyone!" The blonde girl's face had turned bright red.

Lucy continued berating the boy until another woman suddenly made her presence known. It was the red-headed woman Erza and Lucy thought she could see a dark aura vibrating around her person.

"Tell me! What did Natsu do to you? Did he force you to do something unspeakable? I will make sure his punishment is just!"

"He d-didn't…" Lucy was frozen to the spot, unable to move under the stern woman's glare.

"Then are you some kind of harlot?"

"What?! No! I…" Lucy didn't think her face could get any more red.

"Hey Erza, chill out! It's not what you think!" Natsu had only just recovered from Lucy's sudden shrieking storm.

"Explain!" Erza had her arms crossed and was staring intently at them. Everyone else in the room was either gaping open-mouthed or had suddenly found something very interesting on their shoes or in their cups.

Almost immediately, Natsu launched into his story, "Okay, well first I heard someone yell. It was really loud…kinda like what just happened a minute ago…" he glanced at Lucy wondering if he'd unwittingly befriended a banshee, "then I saw a girl on the ground with her dress practically over her head, I noticed she was wearing la-"

"YOU CAN SKIP PAST THAT PART!"

"Shit, are you trying to bust my ears or something? Anyway, she got up and ran across the street yelling something about a purse. That's when I saw Bora running too. I caught him and beat his ass and left him by the dumpster!" Natsu cracked his knuckles and looked around proudly, "oh yeah, Lucy kicked him pretty good too! He made the most pathetic noise!"

"Is this true?" Lucy only nodded, wide-eyed, afraid to say anything that might anger the woman or cause more embarrassment to herself. "Very well, in that case; Natsu, congratulations on apprehending that scum; and Lucy, I trust you will refrain from flashing your undergarments during your employment here at Fairy Tail; it is most unbecoming," and with a curt nod, Erza disappeared into the kitchen, just as quickly as she'd come.

Both Lucy and Natsu exhaled loudly. The rest of the people in the room came out of their stupor and began asking questions about the fight and why Lucy was alone in the city at night.

She decided to tell them a watered down version of her story; excluding the parts about a forced marriage and her family's fortune. Natsu, on the other hand, embellished the fight at every opportunity. By the time he had finished, he'd made it sound like he had single-handedly taken down a gang of thieves and that Lucy had practically thrown herself at his feet begging to give him food as an offering.

Throughout these conversations, Mira, smiling impishly, had moved to her spot behind the bar and began slowly wiping down the counter. The only thought ringing through her head was;  _What a wonderful story to tell their grandchildren!_

The evening ended as such: The Thunder Gods had left not long after Erza's exit. At some point, Gray had insulted Natsu and they promptly began rolling on the ground throwing punches. Before long, most of the other men had joined them, including Gildarts. Cana had woken briefly, long enough to yell curses at the swirling cloud of dust and fists and then found a couch upstairs where she could continue her nap. It seemed like the fight might continue well into daybreak until someone placed a very ill-timed kick and knocked over a table. This particular table happened to be where Erza was sitting, very contentedly eating a slice of cake. With her dessert in a pile on the floor, she proceeded to throw out each of the offenders, all of whom were shouting names and trying to clear their own to spare themselves from her wrath. It became very quiet after that and right before exhaustion finally claimed her, Lucy's last thought was,  _these people are completely insane._


	5. Back Around

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lucy and Juvia are my brOTP. I wish Mashima-sama would spend more time on their friendship T_T

Lucy awoke with a sudden jolt and it took her a few minutes before she realized where she was.

_What the-? How did I get here? And what time is it?_

She was in her motel room, sprawled underneath the covers of her bed. Her shoes were sitting neatly by the door and her jacket placed over the back of a chair. She was still wearing her dress. She blushed when she remembered certain events of the evening. Namely, her lacy red panties that had been exposed for half the city to see. She'd prayed that it had happened too quickly for anyone to take notice but thanks to  _Natsu,_ Lucy thought she might just swear off dresses for life.

_There is no way two of those drinks made me black out._

The last thing Lucy remembered was seeing Erza break up the brawl at Fairy Tail. She'd thrown all the unruly men outside and shut the door while they continued their fight in the street.

_Hmmm Lisanna and Mira were whispering near me…but after that, nothing…was I drugged?_

Lucy snorted. She had suspicions that the eldest white-haired sibling was not as innocent as she looked but she highly doubted Mira kept roofies hidden in the bar. She stretched and studied herself in the bathroom mirror. Her eye makeup was slightly smudged but other than that she looked and felt fine. She actually felt a lot better than she thought she deserved. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had such an eventful day. Running away notwithstanding, she'd chased and help capture a thief and then stayed out til God only knows what time. Speaking of time…

_One-thirty?! I can't believe it's so late, the day's half over!_

Lucy had planned on getting some errands done as soon as possible. There were more than a few simple comforts she'd had to leave behind. The motel supplied miniature shampoo and soap samples of course but Lucy would be here for a while. She needed to do some major toiletry shopping. Not only that, but she figured she'd stock her small fridge with a few food items and most importantly, she wanted a cell phone. Once she started to look for an apartment she'd need some form of contact; not to mention Fairy Tail would surely need to get ahold of her once in a while. Her head was already filled with daydreams of picking up extra shifts and earning loads of tips to fuel further shopping sprees. She sighed; this is what she'd wanted for so long. To be  _needed._

After she stripped off her wrinkled dress she freshened up her makeup and changed into a pair of shorts and tank top. When she reached her shoes she noticed again how they'd been carefully placed by the door. It wasn't usually like her to do that, she preferred to kick them off into a corner the moment she walked in.

_Weird._

Before she left she'd counted out some more money and added it to the change in her purse from the previous day. She had second thoughts though and decided she'd rather keep her money on her person and rolled it into a ball and stuffed it in her cleavage.

 _Ha! Good luck getting in there you stupid scumbags_!

However unlikely it was that she'd get mugged again, especially in daylight, Lucy didn't trust her luck very much at the moment and was taking no chances. She took out her fake I.D. and key card and put them in her back pocket. When she reached the counter downstairs she got directions to the nearest shopping center; only a short walk down the street.

Outside, it was bright and sunny and Lucy mentally added a pair of sunglasses to her ever growing shopping list. The streets were just as busy as the night before but the people were decidedly less drunk. A few blocks past her motel Lucy realized the shops and restaurants were starting to look nicer. There were outdoor cafes, cute little boutiques and more families walking around. When Lucy saw the top of a ferris-wheel peeking over a building she'd realized she was heading towards the boardwalk. As much as she'd love to explore more she told herself to stick to her original plan.

When she reached the shopping center the first thing she did was find a phone carrier and buy the cheapest available plan, even though the employee kept trying to upsell her. She knew she'd only be using it for emergencies so why waste money? Leaving the kiosk, Lucy found herself at the food court and sat down with a greasy slice of pizza and a soda.  _So bad but so good._

"Lucy?" The blonde looked up from her food and saw a familiar white pixie-cut bobbing in her direction. She was followed by one of the waiters she'd met the night before; a man with a wild mane of orange hair.

"Hey Lisanna! Hi Loke!"

"Funny seeing you here! Oh are you shopping for your uniform?"

"Yeah and a few other things I need for my room." The pair sat down at her table and began chatting with her about the various shops in the center and where she might find what she's looking for.

"So what are you guys doing here?"

"Mira sent me out to get a few things for the bar. Loke's the only one that answered me when I texted for some help," the girl made an irritated face. "The others are probably at Sting's screwing around as usual."

"That's probably true, but you know I've never been one to pass up a chance to spend time with a lovely lady. And what luck to find Lucy here, too!" Loke had sat down next to the blonde and gave her a flirtatious smile.

"We don't need to back for a while, do you mind if we tag along? It'll give us a chance to get to know each other better!"

Lucy thought it was a great idea. The girls told Loke he didn't need to stick around but he insisted on staying with them and carrying their bags. Lisanna was a big help since she had experience working at the bar and Lucy was very happy she bumped into them. The three of them got along really well, even with Loke's constant flirting. When they were finished, Loke offered to give Lucy a ride back to the motel so she didn't have to carry everything.

"Thanks a lot you guys! I guess I'll see you at work tomorrow? Gildarts told me to come in at five," Lucy had just closed the car door and was leaning on the open window.

"Yep, I'll be there for training, I promise I won't go too hard on you."

"I've got tomorrow night off but maybe I'll stop by so you can serve me a beer," Loke said with a big wink.

Lucy laughed, "Okay, sure thing. Oh and I just got a phone, let me give you my number just in case anything comes up," Lucy dug in her pockets to find her new gadget and recited her number to them and then they said their goodbyes.

Lucy collapsed on her bed amidst numerous shopping bags and sighed.

_It's not even four yet, what am I supposed to do until tomorrow night?_

* * *

"Ugh, seriously, why do I even need to be here?" said Gray as he leaned back onto the old tattered couch, "I'm not even in the band and I have to see your ugly faces enough while I'm at work as it is."

"Because I'm awesome that's why!" Exclaimed Natsu. The pink-haired man was standing in the middle of the garage next to a microphone with a guitar strapped to his body. "and quit your bitching it's not like you have anywhere else to be," he began making obnoxious noises with his instrument causing Gray to scrunch up his face and cover his ears.

"Okay, that's it!" Gray launched off the couch and attempted to land a punch to Natsu's head.

"Watch the guitar!" He ducked and fell backwards, tripping over a cord and knocking into a drum set causing the cymbals fall over with a loud crash. With a string of curses, a third man joined the fray, this one with messy black hair and facial piercings.

"Will you guys cut the shit! We've been here for two hours and barely played anything! We're never gonna get a real gig if you don't take it seriously!" A clearly irritated man with unruly blonde hair appeared to be on his last nerve. "Goddammit, I swear if you break one more thing in my house I will quit! And then who will write the songs?!"

The three men on the ground laughed at the threat and replied with, "Rogue!" and continued shoving each other. Natsu and Gray had joined forces against Gajeel who had grabbed some couch cushions and were using them as a shield. In the back of the room, sitting on a second, equally worn down couch was a man who had obviously resigned himself to the situation. He was wearing headphones attached to his electric guitar and was slowly strumming away, occasionally pausing to scribble in a notebook. It only took a few more minutes before Sting gave into his frustrations and decided to take his anger out on his bandmates.

An undetermined amount of time later, four men were found sprawled across the garage, panting. Gray had moved himself farther outside, the top half of his body lying on the front lawn, Natsu and Sting were draped on each end of the overturned couch, and Gajeel was resting his head against the wall. Rogue still hadn't moved. A sudden beeping noise caused everyone to raise their heads and search through their pockets for the source.

"Got it," Natsu breathed, the fight having taken his energy for the moment, "What the fuck…" he was looking at his phone with a mixture of shock and anger.

"What? Your boyfriend break up with you?"

Natsu didn't reply. Instead they could hear frantic tapping on the phone screen. Slowly, they all moved themselves towards the silent man. If Natsu was ignoring an insult, it was definitely something they wanted to see.

"Look at this!" He shoved his phone in their faces. There was a picture of two girls; one with long blonde hair, the other short and white. Both of them had their faces half-turned from the camera and were obviously unaware they were being watched. "Loke's kidnapped our women!" Natsu continued texting furiously while the three other men groaned.

"Isn't that the new girl from last night?"

"They look fine to me."

"Loke's just trying to rile you up…and it worked, moron."

The phone beeped again and up popped another picture. This one showed the two girls smiling at the camera, with Loke between them, looking very smug.

The text underneath read: Two at once. Jealous? ;-)

Natsu muttered something unintelligible and then went silent.

"I think Loke finally broke him."

* * *

Lucy's new phone buzzed gently on the nightstand next to her.

Lisanna: Come over to FT…we're way more fun than motel cable! :D

She had told her new friends that she was probably going to spend the night watching one of the five shitty cable channels she got in her room. That's exactly what she had been doing the last hour and she was nearly bored to tears. She didn't even think to buy some books at the store earlier, which would have been way better than sitting through reruns of a terrible soap opera. Lucy stared at the screen for a few minutes before making her decision and texting Lisanna back _._

_What's the harm? Maybe I'll get to see a certain boy again…_

Lucy quickly showered and changed. She was glad for the shopping trip earlier. Not only had she bought a few outfits and accessories, but the she had been able to find her favorite perfume and body wash.

_Everything's coming up roses for Lucy!_

She really couldn't believe how drastically her life had changed in just a few days. She was about to go out drinking. In a bar. With friends. She had done her own shopping. Lucy had to keep pinching herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She was thankful she had found friendly people so soon; she had spent the majority of the train ride worrying and obsessing about every detail of her future. Fairy Tail was the perfect distraction from her thoughts.

Lucy's chosen outfit was a pair of tight black pants, a maroon v-neck top with black zig-zag straps across her back and matching heels. She pinned her hair in a loose up-do, leaving some tendrils down to frame her face. Gold bangles and a simple necklace completed her outfit.

She was adjusting herself one last time in the mirror when she heard a soft tapping. Confused, she turned to face the window and let out an almighty scream and fell backwards onto the floor.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

Her only answer was muffled laughter. The figure outside her window was doubled over and clutching at their sides. Lucy recovered quickly from her fall and seething with rage, yanked the window open and grabbed the person by their shirt.

"Are you trying to kill me, Natsu?" She pulled the boy inside and dumped him on the floor.

"I'm-sorry-I-couldn't-resist!" He said between heavy pants, "You-looked-so-funny!" He just couldn't stop laughing. Lucy took a few deep breaths and looked outside her window in an attempt to hide her blush. How long had he been standing there? She had just been thinking about when she might see him again and here he was, like magic. Granted, it was definitely not the way she'd imagined their next meeting but she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Lucy shook her head and realized that Natsu must have climbed the fire escape. A sudden thought came to her mind.

"How'd you know where I was?"

Natsu had finally recovered himself, "Who do you think brought you back last night?" He was giving her that boyish grin again, causing her to blush a little.

"Wha-you? How-?"

"Carried you of course. You were snoring, it was kinda cute."

Lucy spluttered a little more and her blush deepened. "You-you just can't do that! Who do you think you are? Carrying around sleeping girls and then watching them through their windows like some creepy stalker!" He was laughing at her again. She remembered seeing her shoes and jacket placed neatly around her room and that he had seemingly tucked her in bed. With an even deeper blush at that thought, she tried to tell herself it was a sweet gesture.

"And that still doesn't explain how you knew where my motel was!"

"Pffft that was easy, I got it from Mira's paperwork." Lucy glared, trying to find more reasons to yell at him.

"Why are you even here? Don't you have work or something?" She huffed and took note of his clothes; the Fairy Tail uniform with black jeans; his only accessories were a red wristband and studded belt.

With a sheepish grin, he said, "Well yeah, but Lisanna said you were gonna come over. Loke told me he was going to pick you up but I tripped him and got here first."

Lucy laughed, "Couldn't you have done it like a normal person? Why scare the shit outta me?"

He shrugged and smiled, "It looked like fun."

Lucy had already had this thought more than a few times since meeting him but it really hit home at that moment.

_Oh my God, I'm dealing with a child in a man's body._

"You really shouldn't be walking by yourself anyway." He gave her an obvious look and raised an eyebrow.

Lucy 'hmphed' as she put on her shoes. Just because she'd been caught unawares the night before didn't mean she needed to be escorted everywhere.

Not long after, Lucy and Natsu left the motel room -through the door- like normal people. Natsu had tried to convince her to climb down the fire escape at first; insisting that he'd catch her but she was not about to push her luck. She did not need to break an ankle the day before starting her first job.

Walking down the street Lucy began to wonder whether Natsu knew the concept of personal space. She'd noticed it the night before when he would grab her wrist or fling an arm over her shoulder but this was a little different. He kept brushing his arm against hers and lightly pressing his hand to her back when they crossed a busy intersection. She couldn't tell if he was just being a nice guy or if he  _liked_  her. Loke had been shameless with his flirting since she'd met him; Lucy thought -or- hoped that Natsu was just being more subtle. Lucy never really had any experience with boys before so she couldn't compare it to anything. She didn't count the pretty, rich boys she'd grown up with; she could never be sure whether they liked her or her last name.

Natsu had been casting side-long glances at Lucy the whole time. He felt immensely pleased with himself at each blush he caused. All he had to was lightly brush his fingers against hers while they walked or gently guide her across the street with his hand and she would make the cutest faces. He also found himself getting irritated at the looks Lucy was receiving from the men on the street, each time he saw someone checking her out he walked just a little bit closer to her. He couldn't blame them though, she looked even better than the first time he saw her, but that didn't stop him from wanting to rip their eyes out.

"Do you ever  _not_  have that stupid look on your face, squinty-eyes?" Gray was smoking outside again when they arrived at Fairy Tail.

"What about you, ash-tray? Wanna finish what we started earlier?"

He ignored Natsu and addressed the blonde in front of him with a whistle, "Yo Lucy, I still stand by what I said yesterday, you can do way better than this idiot. Can you believe he's never even k-"

A tan fist connected with Gray's jaw before he could say more. He fell backwards with Natsu on top of him; they were both yelling obscenities.

"Okay then! I'll see you guys later!" Pretending it was a perfectly normal thing to happen; Lucy waved at the cloud of fists and went inside.

Fairy Tail had changed since night before; instead of a rock concert it looked more like a night club. The lights had been dimmed and some were swirling and changing colors; casting shadows on the center floor where people were dancing to the music. Instead of a live band, a DJ was playing, one who looked suspiciously like Loke.

Lucy made her way over to the bar and waved at the women serving drinks.

Cana approached her with a flirty smile, "Hey girl, what's your poison?"

"Eh? Oh! You mean my drink? Umm Mira made me something really good yesterday, I think I'll start with one of those?"

The busty brunette came back a few minutes later and with a smirk, set the pink drink on the counter. Lucy took a sip then promptly made a face, it was a lot stronger than last night but after a few more sips, she didn't notice it as much anymore. The girls made small talk and after a while were joined by Gray causing a few more women to gather around the bar.

"So Gray are you always shirtless when you bar tend?" Asked Lucy, who was on her second drink.

"These lights are too damn hot, I don't like wearing sweaty clothes." It was hard to tell but Lucy thought he might have blushed a little.

The two kept up a decent conversation for a while after that until Lucy noticed him making a really strange face; he looked like he was in pain.

"Um are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, uh, I gotta go, see you later!" Lucy watched him rush to the back, almost tripping Mira in his haste.

 _I guess he really did have to_   ** _go_** _._

Lucy giggled. For some reason, alcohol gave her an unusual appreciation of toilet humor. She sat there, laughing to herself and imagining all the reasons why Gray would act so strange until she noticed something odd at the other edge of the bar. There was a woman sitting there, a little slumped over and Lucy thought she might be crying.

"Hey Mira, do you know her?"

"Yes, she's a very sweet girl, she doesn't smile very much though. Maybe you could cheer her up?" Mira winked at her.

She hated seeing people sad, even strangers, so she went and sat down on the chair next to her. She looked about Lucy's age, with gorgeous periwinkle hair and pale, creamy skin. Lucy thought it was a beautiful contrast. The blue woman ignored the blonde and continued staring intently at her drink, slowly poking at the ice with her straw.

"Hey there…are you alright? Do you need someone to talk to?" Lucy tentatively put a light hand on the woman's shoulder and smiled gently at her. Their eyes met; royal blue and chocolate brown. The melancholy woman wasn't sure she wanted to open her heart again so soon, because well, that's what had brought on her whole problem in the first place. But she saw something in Lucy's eyes just then, a warmth she wasn't accustomed to which made her want to spill her heart out to the stranger. And spill she did.

Her name was Juvia and her life had been difficult; moving from an orphanage to a string of foster homes and then finally the streets where she'd struggled with addiction. She had planned to take her life -that is- until she met  _him_. It was at a support group for foster children; Juvia had gone there that day to say goodbye to the few people she still cared about. Then  _he_  walked in. He'd told the group that his foster mother had committed suicide, and then, no less than a year later, his foster sister followed. He had ranted on about their selfishness and cowardice; how they'd left him all alone. That if they had only talked to him about their unhappiness, he could have had the chance to show them that their lives were too important to give up. His words had awoken something in Juvia that day. This man's life had been difficult too and he'd had the strength to endure; why couldn't Juvia do the same? She didn't have the courage that day to thank him for his words; to tell him that he'd given her something to live for but, she'd get her chance only a few months later.

"I had come here with a friend one night and then I saw him. I couldn't help myself; I ran up to him and told him he'd saved my life. I was so thankful to him and I told him I lo-loved him." Juvia looked up from her glass and blushed, "I don't know what came over me, the words just spilled out…I-I think I may have come on too strong…but it's true! He just...pushed me away like -like I'd hurt him." Tears were threatening to spill onto the counter.

"But that hasn't stopped you from coming to see him?" Lucy had a sneaking suspicion she might know who the woman was talking about but refrained from asking.  _All in good time._

"No, I-I don't know why I can't stay away. He's polite enough when we actually talk but then I think he tries to avoid me. Most of the time he acts like I'm not here."

"So he's here tonight then?" Juvia nodded. "Okay I think I've got an idea. Where is the best spot to go to get his attention?"

Mira was watching them; eyes sparkling.

* * *

"Natsu!" Gray was panting and waving his arms. He'd just left the bar and followed the shock of pink hair to the restroom. "I need a favor, man!"

"What the hell? I'm tryna take a piss here!" Natsu had just unzipped his pants, "I don't care what you're into but I'm not interested!"

"Shut up, asshole! I'm bein' serious. I need you to switch with me tonight. I can't be in there right now." Gray had the weirdest look on his face and Natsu couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh so that girl is here again, huh? I don't get it, why don't you just talk to her? Don't you like it when women are all over you?" He didn't understand Gray at all.

"It's not that! She's-she's  _emotional_ , man! I don't do emotional!" Gray's eyes were wide and he was pulling his hands through his hair and pacing; Natsu was trying very hard to take him seriously. For all the fighting and shit-talking; the two young men cared for each other like brothers. "Not only that but she's like everywhere! I think she must have found out my work schedule somehow!"

In the not so far-off distance, Nastu  _swore_ he could hear the musical tinkling of Mira's laughter.

"Just please take over for me tonight. It'll be easier to avoid her if I'm outside in the crowd. Besides  _your_  girl is sitting at the bar as we speak." Gray had played his trump card and it worked perfectly. Natsu practically rocketed out of the restroom. When the two of them reached the bar to tell Mira of the change-up, they saw that nearly everyone's eyes were riveted to the dance floor. Lisanna was gaping open-mouthed, Erza looked scandalized, Cana was cackling madly and Mira…looked very pleased with herself.

It didn't take long to see why.

* * *

"Okay I think I've got an idea. Where is the best spot to go to get his attention?"

"Well…he's supposed to be working the bar tonight…"Juvia blushed like the fact was supposed to be a secret and cast a furtive glance over to Mira.

"Perfect! When he gets back you're gonna blow his mind! I hope you like to move it!" Lucy ordered two shots for them to add some extra courage and then pulled Juvia to the dance floor in front of the bar. When Gray –er Juvia's  _special friend_  got back, he'd have a perfect view. It wasn't nearly as crowded as the night before; probably because it was still early. The music was perfect, a little slower and most importantly, sensual.

Thanks to years of dance lessons, Lucy was entirely confident in her body. She knew the way it moved and how it attracted attention. Apparently, Juvia was the same; they were going to kill this! Lucy moved closer to Juvia and they both smiled coyly before adjusting their bodies to the music, letting it flow over them like silk. Now that they were moving, she noticed Juvia's strapless dress had slits up the sides, going all the way up to her waist; showing off an impressive pair of legs. Lucy made the first move by taking one of Juvia's hands in hers and then placing it on her hip. Lucy's other hand slowly moved up the other woman's arm, making circles on her smooth skin. Juvia took the hint and began touching Lucy's body; stroking her cheek with one finger in a flirtatious manner and then her other rubbing down the blonde's thigh. Their legs were intertwined and since both women were fairly well-endowed, their breasts pressed and rubbed against each other with each movement.

Lucy decided to kick it up a notch and turned around so that her back was to Juvia. She backed up slowly and put the blue-haired woman's hands on her hips. They began to move in a rhythm together, sliding their hips side to side against each other. Juvia placed her hand on Lucy's stomach, pulling her closer, causing Lucy to lean back onto her shoulder. That's when Lucy saw them.

Both Gray and Natsu were standing by the edge of the bar with identical looks on their faces. Lucy had to focus very hard in order not to laugh. They both looked ridiculous; a mixture of shock and incredulity. Now was her chance, Gray's stupid ass better appreciate this! Lucy switched positions with Juvia, so that now the other woman's backside was pressed against her front. She slowly flipped Juvia's hair across one shoulder, sensually slid her finger up her neck and then whispered in her ear. The other woman's eyes flew open and made contact with Gray's. She was going to show him what he was missing!  _Let's see him ignore me now._  Then, Juvia had a second thought. If Gray was watching her, he could also see her new blonde friend. There was no way she was going to let her steal his attention! With the words  _love rival_  spinning in her head, Juvia began moving faster, in an attempt to outdo her partner.

Lucy was confused at first, but after a moment she understood; she'd want a certain someone's attention all to herself too. She backed off a little bit and that's when the plan backfired. She felt hands around her waist, they were larger than Juvia's and she could smell cologne. Lucy was actually a little surprised it hadn't happened sooner; she laughed to herself when she realized their dancing had likely stupefied most of the men in the room and that they were probably just now recovering. She turned to see who it was, no one she recognized from Fairy Tail; he was a little taller than her, slim, with messy blond hair.

_Pretty cute, but not who I had in mind._

She smiled at him and gently pushed him away, shaking her head. Wide eyed, he clutched his fist to his chest as if she'd punched him; clearly trying to imitate a broken heart; he then mouthed "please?" and held up one finger. Lucy rolled her eyes and smiled; thinking one dance with him wouldn't kill her. She was about to consent when she heard a sharp yell behind her.

It appeared that Juvia was in the same position; the man next to her had silver spiky hair and was no less attractive than Lucy's pursuer. The problem seemed to be that Juvia was less graceful in her rejection. Lucy wasn't sure if the man had tried to be forceful or if Juvia was simply afraid that Gray would see her with another man and was going overboard. The blond next to Lucy paid them no mind and put his hands on her hips again, she turned and shook her head, this time more forcefully she wanted to keep her attention on Juvia; the woman was starting to cause a scene. That's when both men were suddenly on the floor; two blurs of hair and fists erupted, one of them pink and yellow, the other black and silver. Juvia looked like she had just ascended to heaven while Lucy was just plain furious. The blond guy hadn't done anything wrong, and if he had, Lucy could have handled it.

_Stupid, temperamental idiots had to go and ruin the fun!_

"What the fuck, Natsu!" the equally hot-headed blonde grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him away. He was heavier than he looked and the momentum made them both stumble backwards. Lucy ended up on top of Natsu facing him.

He stared up at her; the blonde's face was flushed, chest heaving with each breath and most importantly she was  _sitting_ on him. He couldn't hear the words coming out of her mouth; she seemed mad about something?

"Stop this at once!" Natsu was snatched out of his day dreams by Erza's voice. "What exactly happened?"

Juvia was off in her own world;  _Gray just fought another man for me!_ She could hardly contain her squeals. Gray looked a little confused at his actions, as if he'd just had an out of body experience. He didn't want to tell Erza –and definitely not Juvia- that he'd suddenly felt a surge of jealous rage and couldn't stop himself.

Lucy didn't hear the question at all; she'd just shoved herself off of Natsu and she couldn't decide if she was more embarrassed or angry at the moment.

Natsu crossed his arms, looking like a petulant child, "These assholes wouldn't take a hint! It was obvious the girls didn't wanna be touched!"

"That's no reason for you two morons to start a fight! Besides I can take care of myself! And for your information if you hadn't interrupted I actually was going to dance with him!"

Lucy didn't get the reaction she was hoping for; she'd wanted Natsu to feel bad for messing up her good time, instead he looked even more proud of himself. She wanted to punch him.

Everyone turned away from their little spat, deciding they didn't want to interrupt.

"We're very sorry; we didn't realize these two beautiful ladies were spoken for." The silver-haired man addressed Erza.

"Sp-spoken for?! She-I-uh-we-we aren't uh…" Gray devolved into an incoherent mess, his words disconnected and eventually he resigned to muttering to himself. Judging by her face, Juvia looked like she could have melted into a puddle of warm gooeyness.

Erza's left eye was twitching. She wanted to beat them all senseless, and she might have if Mira hadn't intervened.

"Why don't you two gentlemen come back to the bar, I'll get you some drinks on the house to make up for your trouble."


	6. Color Your World

"Why don't you two gentlemen come back to the bar, I'll get you some drinks on the house to make up for your trouble."

Mira smiled sweetly and gestured for the men to follow her. For having just been attacked in the middle of the dance floor; they didn't seem too upset about it. The blonde was still glaring daggers at Natsu as he stood up.

"Oh come on Lucy, just forgive me already. You can't stay mad at this face." He pointed an index finger at the beaming smile he was giving her.

_Goddammit why does he have to be so cute?_

Yes, she was irritated that her dancing mood had been ruined but she also felt a little smug. Twice now, Natsu had stood up for her, however misguided the second attempt was, it made her chest swell knowing that he wanted to protect her.

"Fine!" She said in a huff and stomped back to the bar, not wanting to show him that she'd completely forgiven him so easily.

It was good enough for him; but before he could enjoy his moment of triumph, a shout came from the stairwell,"Natsu, Gray! Upstairs now!" Erza clearly wasn't going to let it go like everyone else. Muttering curses, the two men slowly followed her into, what Lucy assumed, was an office.

She ordered another drink from Cana and as soon as she sat down was enveloped in a dramatic hug.

"Oh Lucy, did you see that? Gray came to my rescue like a noble prince!" Juvia's eyes glazed over slightly; obviously having some sort of fantasy.

"Yes! It wasn't quite the way I'd hoped but the end result was pretty much the same. Gray can't feign indifference anymore." Lucy winked conspiratorially at her. "Now you just need to get him talking."

The girls continued their conversation and before long the two men came up to them to apologize personally. They were semi-regulars at Fairy Tail and didn't want any bad blood. The silver-haired one, Lyon, even claimed that he recognized Gray and planned to stick around for a while. The blond, Hibiki, told Lucy in a whisper that he wouldn't forget she'd said she was going to dance with him. She had rolled her eyes, some guys just didn't know when to quit. Mira had given her a high five, saying she'd been trying to give Gray a little push in Juvia's direction for months now, and was proud the blonde had succeeded so quickly.

Lucy, having filled her fun quota for the day was saying her goodbyes when the two offenders came back downstairs. They both looked like they'd had their favorite toys taken away.

Natsu, noticing that Lucy was headed out the door, followed her, "Hey Luce, need a ride?"

Knowing she'd given him a hard enough time already, and that he'd probably been yelled at by Erza to boot, she agreed. Before they walked outside, she saw Gray sit down next to Juvia; both smiling a little shyly. Lucy couldn't stop herself from doing a little happy-dance once the doors closed.

Natsu gave her a look as if she'd grown a second head, "You're kinda weird, ya know that right?"

"Please! I don't think I've met a single normal person since I stepped off the train!"

Natsu laughed, "I guess I can't argue with that." They were walking in a small parking lot Lucy assumed was for employees, at the very back they came to a stop in front of a motorcycle.

"Um this is yours?"

"Yep! Used to be my dad's. It took me a few years but I managed to get it running again." He beamed with pride and then held out a helmet for her. She looked the machine up and down.

Lucy gulped, "Um, you know, on second thought I think I can walk...don't you have to be getting back anyways?

"Nah, Erza chewed us out pretty good, she said she didn't want to see our faces til next shift," Natsu shrugged as if it happens all the time.

_It probably does._

He pressed the helmet to her a little harder, with a teasing smile he said, "Are you gonna get on or what?"

Lucy had never ridden on a motorcycle before; in all honestly she'd never had the desire. Even watching other people ride them made her apprehensive.

"Let's go, Luce! You trust me, don't you?" His eyes sparkled with mischief when he said this.

She only nodded, not trusting her voice; she didn't want to show how nervous she really was. He placed the helmet on her head and leaned in to adjust the straps. After a moment she noticed Natsu was taking a little longer than necessary; Lucy could feel his hot breath on her neck and his fingertips brush under her chin. She really wished she could stop the blush from creeping up her face.

He pulled away with a smirk and put on his own helmet then handed her his jacket, which she thanked him for; and sitting down, he patted the spot on the seat behind him. Lucy slung her leg over and determinedly sat as far back on the seat as possible with her hands on her thighs.

"Um you're gonna need to hold on," he raised his voice as the bike roared to life underneath them, causing Lucy to nearly jump off and Natsu chuckled at her when she gently placed her hands on his shoulders, "no, I mean really hold on," and he took her hands and placed them around his waist, "scoot closer too, you don't wanna fall off do ya?" Lucy could clearly sense the laughter in his voice; she was sure he knew exactly what he was doing and she was eternally grateful he couldn't see her face at that moment. They were moving now and Lucy began to think it wasn't so scary after all.

But they were still in the parking lot.

When they'd pulled into traffic Natsu couldn't stop laughing at Lucy's squeals. "We're not even going 30, save your shrieks for the highway!"

"Wait, what –highway?!" She'd just now realized they were going in the wrong direction, "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE TAKING ME HOME!"

"Huh? I don't remember saying that. I'm just taking you for a ride!"

"YEAH. HOME." If Lucy's hands weren't welded together around his waist she would have strangled him right then.

"Well it's too late now," the bike was gaining speed as they entered the on-ramp "You shoulda been more specific!" Natsu thought his gut would bust from laughing so hard. He could barely keep a straight face the whole time.

Lucy wanted to stay mad, she really, really did, but at that moment she felt her whole body heat up. With her arms wrapped around Natsu, she could feel the vibrations of his laughter in every muscle. Her hands moved in tandem with every breath he took. If she flattened her palms she could feel the smooth ridges of his stomach; not being able to resist, she slowly unclasped her hands and moved them up higher on his chest, pressing her hips just a little bit closer against him; he tensed when she did this and Lucy smirked to herself.

_God, I feel like such a pervert._

Suddenly, the bike rocketed forward making her squeal louder than ever and clutch even tighter.

Natsu didn't think he'd ever heard anything sexier in his life.

They reached their destination only a few minutes later. Natsu parked the bike at a dead end and motioned for Lucy to take off her helmet.

"Just a little bit farther." He smiled at her as if she'd asked to be taken hostage and brought to the middle of nowhere. She had no idea what to say or do so she just kept silent and followed him through a lightly wooded area; the only light source coming from the moon above them. Lucy kept up a mantra inside her head.

_I am not about to murdered. I am not about to be murdered. I am not about to be murdered._

When they reached a chain-link fence Natsu motioned for her to give him her foot.

Raising an eyebrow she finally asked, "So, mind telling me what we're doing?"

"You'll see in a minute; don't worry, I do this all the time."

"What? Kidnap women?" He laughed and motioned for her foot again; she placed it on top of his clasped hands and put hers on his shoulders to stop herself from falling over. She felt her chest gently brush his nose as he pushed her up, the sudden contact made her squeak and she lost her balance, pitching forward onto the fence. Her hands grasped the chain-link and she could feel Natsu laughing into her stomach, he had a hand on each side of her waist in an attempt to steady her. The vibrations of his voice on her body were too much and she quickly scrambled over the fence, landing a little too hard. She brushed herself off and tried to look anywhere but at him as he hopped over effortlessly. She thought it must have been karma for groping him on the bike.

Lucy had just decided to completely ignore what had just happened when Natsu said, "So, uh, first time jumping a fence?" He could hardly contain his giggle.

"Maybe! So shut up!" Lucy could think of nothing else to say; her brain had frozen during that moment when his face was pressed into her and she had a feeling it wasn't going to thaw anytime soon.

"Where are we anyway?" Natsu simply pointed; he was afraid to open his mouth in case he couldn't stop the laughter. Her face right now was just priceless.

A short walk ahead of them, Lucy's question was answered; sprawled across the mountainside, were the giant, white letters of the MAGNOLIA sign; it was the most famous landmark of the city. They climbed up onto the platform and sat down in front of the huge 'O'; their legs dangling over the side.

"This –this is –wow." Lucy was in awe. The entire city was spread out before them like a blanket of diamonds. She could make out the spotlights at the famous movie theater; the high rises downtown and even the ferris-wheel down by the boardwalk was lit up and sparkling in the distance. She was so stunned that the embarrassing situation from moments before had been struck from her mind.

Natsu was watching her take it all in, "Since you've never been to the city before I thought you might enjoy the view."

"I –I don't even have words. I've never seen anything more beautiful."

"Me either" Lucy didn't notice but he hadn't taken his eyes off her when he spoke.

He let her drink in the view for a few minutes before saying, "Hey check it out, I came prepared!" Natsu dug into his bag and brought out two beers and a music player.

"Oh so you had this all planned out then?" Lucy laughed and took one of the bottles.

"Nah, I'm just so cool I always have booze on me." They clinked their beers together and took a sip.

"Oh look, we're twins!" Lucy pointed at his music player then pulled out hers and compared them. One pink, one red. "Oooh mine matches your hair!" She giggled and held it up to his head; the shade was almost exact.

Natsu rolled his eyes, "Whatever, I bet mine has better music!" He snatched it from her hand and started scrolling; Lucy copied. They spent the next few minutes speaking in exclamations and laughter.

"You like this song? Seriously?"

"Oh, I forgot about this band!"

"I honestly can't see you actually listening to this!"

"Shut up, it's a good song to dance to!"

"Wow, I gotta remember to download this when I get home!"

After some silence while they both listened to each other's music, Natsu asked, "Have you heard this one?" He took one of his earbuds and handed it to Lucy, so they were sharing. "I just learned to play it; it's one of my favorites."

Lucy placed the bud in her ear and turned to face the glowing expanse of city as the music started. Natsu did the same and scooted a little closer to her; both of their hands in the space between them; almost touching.

There were no lyrics, just instruments working together to form a fascinating harmony. Lucy knew it was something she could listen to for hours on repeat. Sitting next to him, gazing out over the sparkling lights and listening to the song; it was mesmerizing.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so content.

Lucy felt something softly brush against her hand. She didn't need to look down to know that Natsu was slowly running his fingers across hers. His touch was so warm; it spread through her fingers, up her arm and into her chest. She watched his gentle ministrations; imagining his fingers strumming a guitar; playing a song just for her. It was a thought that fueled the heat inside her body. She could feel her face beginning to burn and tried so very hard to keep her hand from shaking.

Sitting there with her, it was  _perfect_. The only thing that could possibly make it better was if he could just touch her skin; only a little. So with the idea barely registering, he slid his finger against the top of one of hers. Unsure of himself, he waited for her to push him away, but she didn't. Her hand was so smooth and soft; he couldn't help but wonder what the rest of her body felt like. He felt his cheeks get hot and made sure to keep his face turned away from her so she wouldn't notice.

Lucy couldn't take it anymore, she was so nervous; if this kept up for too long she would explode. They needed to talk about something, anything, and fast. She remembered what he'd said a few minutes before.

"What made you want to play guitar?"

_Easy conversation topic._

"My dad taught me when I was a kid, before he died."

_Shit. Now I've got to say something._

"My mom died when I was young, too. Cancer."

"Car accident."

_Ugh, I just wanted something casual and I had to go and bring up dead parents somehow. Total downer._

Natsu was still stroking her hand though, so she must not have upset him. He was scrolling through the music player with his other hand and after selecting another song he continued, "My dad's band was pretty popular before I was born; he played a lot at Fairy Tail. After he died, the owner, Makarov, gave me a job so I could get emancipated; I've been on my own since then." Natsu looked up at her expectantly.

Lucy cleared her throat; giving herself time to pick her words.

"My mom was sick for a while and then…she died. I was twelve." She tried to keep her tone casual; like his.

"And your dad?"

"Workaholic. I didn't see him much but that didn't stop him from trying to control my whole life though." She had to laugh a little at that, she was way beyond his reach now.

After a moment she sighed, "I'm sorry, this is a totally depressing topic!"

He just shrugged and picked another song. "Don't be sorry, we are who we are now because of the past."

Lucy raised her eyebrows at him and he smiled sheepishly.

"Gray told me that once."

"Wow I'm kinda surprised you guys actually talk. I've only seen you hitting each other."

"We have our moments."

Lucy's thoughts went back to her conversation with Juvia earlier.

_Did anyone in this place have a happy childhood?_

They listened to a few more songs before Lucy got the courage to ask the question that had been on her mind since they sat down, "Soooo…Natsu. Is this a date?"

He turned to her suddenly, "Do you want it to be?" He was smirking and had one eyebrow raised.

"That depends." Lucy did her best to keep a straight face while she teased him.

"On...?"

"How many other girls you've tricked into this."

"Tricked? I did no such thing!" He made a show of acting very offended.

Lucy rolled her eyes waiting for an answer, "You did say you do this all the time…"

"Yeah, with the guys!" his tone got serious, "You're the first girl I've brought up here."

"Really?"

"Yep. Really. So this is a date then?" Natsu was trying to keep his grin in check.

She sighed thoughtfully and pretended to think about it for a minute; trying to drag it out.

She was taking too long for Natsu though, "I'll take your silence as a yes! So since this is our second date, the third one is when we get to make-out right?"

"Excuse me?"

"The third date is when the guy can finally make his move, isn't it? Or is that third base?" He rubbed his chin as he was thinking.

Lucy was almost rolling with laughter. She really couldn't believe this guy. What kind of things go on in that pink head of his? She wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"Hold on a minute, when exactly do you think we had our first date?"

"Last night, duh. You bought me food!"

"That was so not a date!"

He was shaking his head, "No, no it definitely was. I even saw your underwear -wait, what base is that?"

Lucy shrieked and tried to push him away. "Will you stop bringing that up? Don't you think I've been traumatized enough?"

"What's there to be traumatized about? I thought it was pretty nice actually…" His laughing was driving her insane.

"Oh my God! Okay it's time to go!"

"Aw really? It's not that late…"

"It's getting cold. Plus, I start work tomorrow. I need my beauty sleep!"

Natsu rolled his eyes and tossed their empty beer bottles in a trash can before helping her up. They managed to climb the fence without incident and began the walk back to the bike. It really was getting colder and Natsu refused to take his jacket from her even though he was wearing only a sleeveless tee. The ride was home was easier for Lucy; she knew what to expect and she was able to enjoy it. The way the powerful bike felt underneath her and the feel of Natsu's body every time he leaned into a turn and with his jacket around her she was able to take in his warm scent. He smelled like smoke, the good kind, like a campfire. It was calming and made her relax even more so she pressed her cheek to his back and closed her eyes . They pulled up in front of the hotel a lot sooner than she'd wanted.

"Thanks a lot Natsu. It was really nice of you to take me up to the sign…even if you were sneaky about it." Lucy smiled and handed back his jacket.

"No problem, Luce." There was that toothy grin again.

Before she could think twice about it, Lucy leaned into him and pressed a firm kiss onto his cheek. She could see he wasn't expecting it and she didn't give him a chance to respond because the next moment she was practically skipping into the motel lobby.

"See you tomorrow!"


	7. Slow Burn

Lucy's first week at Fairy Tail went by in a blur. She would be a happy girl if she never saw another jack and coke for the rest of her life. Her feet ached and everyone swore she'd fall into a normal sleep schedule –eventually. Lucy didn't mind though; in fact she loved it. She'd never been happier. The tips were great and she'd already saved a small chunk of money for a down payment on an apartment. Although there was one thing that had been irritating her –she'd been spilled on four times that first week; Mira said it was a new record. The third time Lucy had to change her shirt she was starting to suspect something –there are only so many excuses one could use to explain why their drink suddenly spilled onto her breasts.

"What the hell Natsu!" Lucy had just gone up to the bar to retrieve a customer's order and it had happened. Again.

"Oh shit I'm sorry Luce!" He had gone to set the drink on the tray she was holding –something she'd asked him repeatedly not to do. She had shifted and –of course he hadn't been paying attention.

"Do you have any idea how many shirts I've gone through already?"

This would be number five. He was keeping count. Although, Loke had been the culprit twice; something Natsu made sure to punch him over.

"I don't think I'll ever get the whiskey smell out of my hair!"

"Quit wasting booze Natsu! Gildarts is gonna take it out of your paycheck!" Cana was watching them from the other side of the bar. Lucy wasn't the only one suspicious of the pink-haired bartender's sudden clumsiness.

_Is it still sexual harassment if I actually like the guy? I think there might be something wrong with me._

Natsu quickly made another drink and gave it to the waiting customer himself, while Lucy changed.

"Hey, you're off for a few days right?" He asked when she got back to the bar. The question wasn't necessary though, since he'd already talked to Mira about it, but Lucy didn't need to know that.

"Yes and I plan on falling into a three day coma the moment I get back to my room." The blonde let out an exasperated sigh. She had worked seven days straight on the closing shift and she was ready to drop.

He smiled knowingly. He knew she was completely wiped out; just because she was the new girl didn't mean Erza would go easy on her.

"I'm having band practice at my place Sunday. You should come. Gray said he'd invite Juvia so you have a chick to talk to."

Lucy was very pleased with the progress between those two. Juvia told her they had exchanged numbers last week; he wasn't completely warmed up but his icy exterior was slowly starting to thaw. Inviting her to Natsu's seemed like a big step in the right direction, even if he was using Lucy as an excuse.

Juvia had texted her only a few hours before –in all caps, telling Lucy how excited she was to finally see Gray outside Fairy Tail. The blonde had been expecting her invitation any minute.

"Don't you guys usually practice at Stings?"

"Well yeah, but we broke his garage door the other day so we're kinda banned for a while."

Lucy wasn't surprised at all.

He leaned in closer to her over the bar, his onyx eyes only a few inches away from her brown ones, "The bands' meeting at two but maybe I could pick you and we could hang out before that?" The pair hadn't really seen each other outside their shifts since their "second date" except for the days when Natsu could walk her down the three blocks to work.

"So would that be date number three?" She tried to hide her shaking voice with a smile, flirting was still a little new to her.

"Actually five. We ate lunch together twice this week."

Lucy rolled her eyes, "You really need to learn the definition of a date."

"So I'll pick you up at eleven?"

"Hey lovebirds! Get back to work!" Gildarts had spotted them from his position on the balcony.

"Quit cock-blocking Natsu, Pops!" Cana had moved to the kitchen but had still been spying on them through the service window. Lucy flushed the brightest shade of red, stammered an answer to Natsu and quickly went to hide behind the kitchen doors.

Not the best place to run to, Lucy realized a moment later.

Cana sidled up to her with a smirk on her lips, "So Lucy…have you and Natsu done the nasty yet?"

"OH MY GOD CANA!"

The reactions of the three other people in the room were immediate. Loke, who had been carrying several boxes of frozen goods, stumbled into the open freezer door and fell face first into the ground, cursing loudly. Lisanna was doubled over with laughter, tears in her eyes and hands holding her stomach, a smashed plate of onion rings forgotten on the ground. Mira was standing directly in front of Lucy and Cana with eyes wide.

"Tell us!"

"You too Mira?!"

They were all staring at her except for Loke who was hiding behind the spilled boxes and had suddenly gotten very quiet.

"Well –no! We're not even together or anything!"

All their faces showed identical looks of disappointment.

"Don't worry Lucy, it'll happen. Natsu has so got it bad for you." Lisanna patted her shoulder in a sympathetic manner.

"Wha –I'm not even –thinking –about –  _that_!"

"I'm not sure if Natsu even knows where to put it." Cana sighed and everyone was reminded of Loke's presence when he snorted loudly at her comment.

"Lisanna's right though! I used to think he had a thing for her when they were kids –but alas! It was not meant to be," Mira said dramatically; as if she'd been placing bets on the couple and lost, "it's okay though 'cause my little Lissy has got someone else, doesn't she?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

"What?! No! Stop it Mira!" the younger sister's face showed a mixture of embarrassment and fear.

Lucy, at least, felt better knowing her love life wasn't the only focus of the woman's attention.

"What's going on in here?" Erza's head popped in through the window. "Customers are waiting!" She saw the three women huddled around Lucy and let out a long, drawn out sigh of suffering, "this is a bar not a sewing circle!" She glared at them until they started moving again, "And Cana, your boyfriend needs to pull it together or he won't be playing here again!" Erza waved her hands in the direction of the stage.

This particular evening's entertainment was the band Quatro Cerberus; their music was very similar to The Thunder Gods; loud, fast and intimidating. The lead singer had a very different stage presence from Laxus, though. Bacchus was his name and he was currently sitting on the stage; obviously very drunk. A few minutes before, he had stumbled and knocked over the microphone stand, but it didn't cause him to miss a beat and he continued his singing as normal.

Cana looked over and shrugged, "This is pretty typical of him. Says it helps with stage fright or something."

Erza looked to the stage and paled; not wanting to show any weakness, she looked around to find another victim, "Put a fucking shirt on Gray!" She stalked over to the bar, yelling about his annoying quirk.

Loke had finally recovered and closing the freezer door, he walked up to Lucy, "So I've been meaning to ask you, there's this thing Fairy Tail is hosting and –" he was cut off by a louder than normal Mira.

"Loke, I need your help! Quick!"

"Uh what Mira?" He looked around for the emergency.

"Um upstairs! Gildarts said he needed you!"

Loke looked thoroughly confused, "But didn't you just say –" Mira gave him a glare that rivaled Erza's.

Lucy watched him go and Mira was fanning herself like she'd just run a race.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine! Crisis averted!" She smiled brightly.

Lucy quietly went back to work. She was learning very quickly to ignore certain things and each day her first assessment of Fairy Tail's staff only got truer.

_They're all nuts. As mad as hatters. I wonder if I am too? Do crazy people know they're crazy? How can you tell?_

Daydreaming while carrying a tray of drinks is never a good idea; something Lucy was about to learn. If she'd been paying attention she might have heard the fight starting next to her. But nothing would have prevented her from stopping what happened next. She was knocked side-ways, the drinks spilling on her, the floor and whatever it was that just hit her.

_Why is it always me?_

She felt hair tickling her chin. It was pink.

_And HIM?!_

She shoved Natsu off her while he apologized profusely, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry Lucy! It was an accident this time I swear!" He had his hands out in front of him as a gesture of surrender.

"This time?!"

Natsu froze when he realized his mistake. Lucy could almost hear his thoughts.

_Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit._

He turned and ran.

"WHEN I CATCH YOU, YOU'RE A DEAD MAN."

"Wow Lucy, twice in one night? That's another record!" She had no idea who said that but she lifted her middle finger above her head while she ran anyways.

_Dead. All of them._

The crowd was dispersing; Bacchus had finally passed out and he was being carried away by his bandmates, which gave Lucy more room to chase Natsu and less people for him to hide behind.

She finally managed to corner him when he made the mistake of running into a dressing room. He was wide-eyed when Lucy tackled him to the floor, pounding her fists into his chest and screeching. Natsu just laid there and took it; he knew he deserved it but he couldn't stop the grin creeping up his face.

"You freaking pervert! What is wrong with you?"

Natsu couldn't speak through his peals of laughter.

"You're supposed to be scared not laughing!"

"I'm sorry but really Luce, you're cute when you're mad, I can't help it!"

She sat up on him and put her hands over her face making a sound that was a mixture of annoyance and exhaustion.

When she looked back down to him she followed his gaze. Her chest was heaving, still trying to catch her breath after the chase and her whole front was soaked and dripping. And he was  _staring_. He hadn't realized she noticed yet, so Lucy decided to play a little game. She leaned forward and placed her hands on his chest; knowing full well the action would create more cleavage.

Leaning down, their faces were almost touching, "Natsu?" she said as sweetly as she could manage, "what are you looking at?"

He swallowed thickly and had the decency to look embarrassed at being caught. Before he could form an answer he was –mercifully –saved when they both jumped at a noise coming from a nearby closet.

"The hell?"

Lucy quickly helped Natsu up; the game forgotten for the time being and they both looked at each other with a mischievous glint in their eyes. There were more noises coming from the door in front of them; giggling and –moaning?

They shared another look before Natsu snatched open the door.

"Lisanna!"

"OH GOD MY EYES!"

"Lucy!"

"Close the door, asshole!"

"BICKSLOW WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HER!"

"Shut the fuck up, moron!"

"MY EYES ARE BURNING!"

Lucy managed to shut the door amid Natsu's screaming and Bickslow's cursing. There was more yelling and fumbling as the two people in the closet had managed to knock over some shelves in the excitement. Natsu grabbed Lucy and they both bolted down the hallway howling like lunatics, but before they were out of earshot they could hear Lisanna's muffled shout, "PLEASE DON'T TELL MIRA!"

* * *

Lucy's first day off was pretty uneventful, for which she was very grateful. She'd slept in until noon and spent the rest of day catching up on her reading. She didn't even have to put on pants. Absolutely no encounters with crazy people, although a few of them did text her. She had to tell Lisanna repeatedly that her secret was safe with Lucy –but not without a little bit of teasing. Who knew that the cute little barmaid was into the tattooed drummer?

Not Mira, apparently.

Juvia had sent a barrage of texts that morning asking Lucy what she should wear to the practice tomorrow and what Gray might think of this or that and if Juvia should consider it a date. She had twenty-five messages from her when she woke up so Lucy decided to just call her and they'd ended up talking for an hour. It was probably the longest phone call of her life and Lucy had loved it.

Natsu liked to send her pictures. Barely a day went by that she didn't receive at least one. Usually they were just him pulling faces or showcasing the recent pranks he'd pulled on Gray, but the newest one was of him –with his cat curled on his chest –saying, 'Happy can't wait to meet u!'

She smiled and felt that warmth in her chest again. It had been growing stronger every day.

* * *

"Hey you ready?" Natsu was on the fire escape again, "I'm parked in the red!"

"Get down from there! I'm gonna get kicked out if you don't stop! That landlady can be really scary when she wants to be!"

"So kinda like you then?"

Lucy answered him with a door slam. She didn't bother to let him in this time.

They met on the curb a few moments later.

"So a skirt, huh? Did you forget I drive a bike?"

"No, but I've been wearing pants all week, my skin needs to breathe!" Lame excuse she knew, but dammit she looked cute as hell today and she wouldn't let him ruin it.

She climbed on the bike behind him, making sure to smooth her skirt down underneath her and then tucking it between her thighs and Natsu's backside.

"Uh what are you doing?"

"Just securing my dignity."

"Okay weirdo. Next time if you want to touch my ass, just ask."

It was almost a habit now. Natsu would say something dumb or slightly perverted, Lucy would scream and hit him and then they'd laugh and continue on their way.

The two decided to kill some time at the boardwalk before going to Natsu's.

"Oh let's go on the ferris-wheel!"

"Ehhhh I'm not really a fan…"

Seeing the look on Natsu's face she teased, "Oh are you scared?"

"No! Just –I had a bad –experience last time."

"How do you have a bad time on the ferris-wheel? It's like the most boring ride ever."

"You've never been thrown up on have you?"

Lucy gagged and didn't question him further. She really didn't need to know.

The rest of their time spent there was very cliché; light shopping, ice-cream and some staring at the ocean. Natsu thought it was all pretty boring, but Gray told him that girls liked that kind of stuff and Lucy seemed to love it, so it was worth it.

Natsu's house was on the edge of the city, near the woods in a nice neighborhood. He'd told her that his dad had left him some money and after he'd been emancipated he could buy his own place.

"Doesn't it get lonely by yourself?" Lucy knew her own answer to that but had wondered if it was the same for other people.

"Nah, I've got Happy and Fairy Tail, they're the best cure to loneliness anyone could ask for."

Lucy agreed wholeheartedly. It had only been a week but they'd all accepted her instantly and treated her like family. She'd never felt more at home. Sure, she'd had people that cared about her back home, but somehow Fairy Tail was different.

When they got inside, Natsu told her he needed to move around some things in the garage so she should make herself at home while he was busy. She'd quickly spotted his cat, Happy, contentedly sitting on the windowsill in the kitchen. He was a little Russian Blue and was wearing a bright blue collar with pictures of fish on it.

_Ohhhh how cuuuuteeee!_

Lucy had gone up to the window but before she could touch the cat, he got up and scampered off down the hall. He was too cute not to follow so she went after him. She was going to pet him whether he liked it or not. He hopped into the last room at the end of the short hallway. When she entered she realized it was clearly Natsu's bedroom.

There were more than a few posters on the wall and one side was filled nearly all with pictures. On closer inspection, she recognized nearly everyone from Fairy Tail. There was young Cana sitting at the bar with her father, a really hilarious one of Erza holding Gray in a headlock, many of Natsu and his band mates and a few really cute ones of him and Lisanna when they were much younger. On the top right corner were the oldest pictures it seemed. In every one, a large red-haired man was the center. It could only be Natsu's father; they had the same goofy grin.

She turned her back to the wall to continue her quest for the cat when her eyes fell on something beautiful. An acoustic guitar was lying across the bed, and when she got a closer look she saw that there were intricate carvings of flames along the sides and on the body was a fierce looking dragon. Lucy had never seen anything like it. Happy had curled up beside it and meowed at her expectantly so she scratched behind his ears before leaning over the guitar and tracing her finger along the dragon's spine.

"That one was my dad's."

Lucy jumped and blushed at being caught in Natsu's room.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to snoop…I followed Happy in here." She smiled sheepishly.

_Great now we're alone in his bedroom oh God what have I done._

"No worries," Natsu picked the guitar up and began tuning it, "Got any requests?"

Lucy just shook her head 'no'; she was very distracted thinking about how they were both sitting on his bed now.

He started playing and it was hypnotizing. She'd heard the song before but couldn't quite think of the name yet, she was too busy gazing at the man next to her. Natsu's face was calm with concentration; a look she hadn't really seen before on him. Watching his fingers move fluidly down the neck of the guitar she suddenly realized just how sexy hands could be. Lucy couldn't stop imagining what else his fingers might be good at. Instantly her face began burning and she squirmed; pressing her thighs together and thanking every deity she could think of that Natsu wasn't looking at her.

"You're really good," Lucy praised when he finished.

"Thanks, want me to teach you?"

"Um okay," How could she refuse? She tried not to look too nervous.

"Here," he placed the guitar in her lap and positioned himself behind her on the bed, "hold it like this," he showed her where to put her hands and then gently pressed on her back so she'd sit up straighter. Taking hold of her fingers; he put them in the proper spots on the fret-board and with his other hand helped her strum. After a few minutes, Lucy was able to produce a few chords on her own.

"You're a fast learner, a few more lessons and you can replace Sting."

She would have laughed if his words didn't make her realize the intimate position they were in. He had almost whispered it since they were so close. Natsu had his chest pressed against her back with his chin resting on her shoulder so he could see while they were playing and since Lucy was holding the guitar now his hand was resting on her waist. She was positive her heartbeat could be heard for miles; it felt like it would burst from her chest any minute now. She wasn't alone though, because with the way they were sitting, Lucy could feel Natsu's heart gently thrumming through his thin shirt as well. When she turned to look at him she felt it speed up; matching her own.

When their eyes met, Natsu closed the distance between them, giving Lucy time to pull away if she wanted. He gently pressed his lips to hers, waiting for the inevitable slap to the face. But it didn't come. Lucy's eyes showed surprise and her face was flushed but she wasn't pushing him away. Her lips were so warm and soft, just like he'd imagined. They'd only known each other a short time but he felt as though he'd been waiting for this moment with her his whole life.

His kiss was cautious, hesitant, as if he was scared to do it wrong. Which he was. For all his casualness about their 'dates', he was completely inexperienced. He pulled back after a moment, gauging the girl's reaction.

With pink cheeks and wide eyes, Lucy placed her hands around his neck and guided him back towards her. She took his lips in hers while tangling her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck. When he felt her tongue gently swipe against his lower lip he made a soft noise and he could feel her smile against him. When he copied her, she parted her lips, giving him entrance into her mouth. He was greedy and Lucy easily submitted to his eager exploration. While they were kissing, Natsu's hands stroked her waist tenderly, the same way he'd touched her hand the last time they were so close.

Gaining confidence after a few minutes, Natsu tightened his grip around her waist and pressed her down onto the bed so she was lying beneath him. With one knee between her legs and an elbow propping him up, their kissing intensified. Her hands traced the muscles in his neck and arms and then down to his back, eventually pulling his shirt above his head. Natsu fingers had slipped from her waist down to her bent knee where he softly tickled the skin there, making Lucy giggle. Slowly, that same hand moved up so he could tenderly massage her thigh; her skirt pulling up with each movement. She gasped when he broke their lips apart and began trailing slow, sensual kisses down the column of her neck and the tops of her breasts.

Lucy had read enough smutty novels to know exactly where this was headed, but she found herself not really caring that much. She knew Natsu wouldn't take it any farther than she wanted and she'd be a liar if she said she didn't want this.

It just felt so good. And so  _right._

She had just pushed herself up from the bed and was about to remove her shirt when she saw them.

Five of them.

Sting. Rogue. Gajeel. Gray. Juvia.

How could so many people fit in one doorway?

"YOU PERVERTS!" Lucy let out an almighty shriek and threw something –she had no idea what –but it hit Rogue squarely in the forehead.

Natsu didn't look fazed in the least when he turned and saw them all standing there.

"Oh hey guys, you're early."


	8. Praise Chorus

"Man, why do I have to hold the pissed off one?" Gajeel was in the backseat of Sting's van with a cat carrier on his lap. Inside said carrier was a very unhappy rusty colored Maine coon.

"Lector's usually not like that. It must be because you smell." Rogue smirked from across the back seat, earning him a glare. His tabby cat, Frosch was in his lap, contentedly staring out the window.

_Cool as a cucumber._

"Because you're too lame to have your own furry friend!" Came Sting's childish reply, "and I'm driving!"

"I'm not a cat person." Gray was sitting in the front passenger seat, his tattooed arm hanging lazily out the window, "it's pretty uncool anyways. I don't need anyone thinking I'm into pet playdates."

"Yeah, it's fricken weird –ouch!" Lector had just stuck a furry paw through the bar and snagged Gajeel's arm.

"Not as weird as Rogue singing show tunes in the shower!"

"WHAT THE HELL MAN. NOT COOL."

_I will destroy you, Eucliffe._

"You shouldn't talk Sting, you have a whole playlist of –"

"SHUT UP RIGHT NOW REDFOX."

"No, wait tell me! Is it Taylor Swift?"

"I bet it's Taylor Swift."

"I'm feeling so attacked right now." Sting threw his arms up in the air, causing the van to swerve a little.

"Hands on the wheel, dumbass!"

"You?! There's nothing wrong with show tunes!"

"It is when you're so loud about it! I swear if I have to listen to the  _Les Mis_  soundtrack one more time I'll rip out my eardrums."

"SOMEBODY TAKE THIS SHITTY CAT FROM ME."

"I think Gajeel is just jealous he's the only member of the band without a mascot."

"Shove it Fullbuster! Don't give me any more reasons to toss you outta the car!" The man's face turned bright red; everyone knew it was the unspoken truth.

"The hell you talkin' about?"

"Juvia, you moron!" Gray's face suddenly became blank.

"Huh?"

"You better not be fucking around with her."

Sting and Rogue quieted, sensing the sudden seriousness.

"Wha –what do you mean?"

Gray was turned around in the seat and the two men were now staring each other down.

"I'm not stupid! Me and her go way back. If you mess with that girl I'll fuck you up."

"What kind of man do you think I am?" Gray looked more than a little taken aback. Sting and Rogue were openmouthed; they'd never seen Gajeel stick up for anyone except Gajeel.

The two men were locked into a staring match; neither wanting to back down.

_Awkward._

"WE'RE HERE!" Sting announced way too loud, making everyone jump.

"At least Natsu left the garage door open this time. Gray take Lector and Frosch, and don't look at me like that they are  _total_ chick magnets." Rogue handed over Frosch and Gajeel shoved the carrier at Gray, the two still giving each other dirty looks.

"Hey guys! Gray! Gajeel!" Juvia was getting out of her car. She instantly hopped to where Gray was; looking curiously at the two cats, the tabby currently perched on his shoulder.

"Hey Juvia, do you mind getting my bag from the front of the car? I brought some stuff so you and Lucy don't get too bored."

"Yes of course, but I don't think we'll be bored at all." She smiled at the man openly.

"R –right. Er…excuse me I gotta take these things inside," he gestured at the two felines. Lector had calmed down considerably since they'd gotten out of the van.

While Gray went in the house, everyone else helped set up the instruments. Natsu had cleared enough room to fit everything and had even brought in a table from the patio so the couch didn't get crowded.

Only a few minutes later, Gray sprinted back into the room.

"GUYS. YOU GUYS." He said in a half-whisper half-pant.

Everyone turned to look at him; he was wide-eyed, like he'd just seen something utterly terrifying.

A few of them were about to speak but he cut them off.

"SHHH! Can't explain! Have to see it!" Gray motioned for them to follow and be quiet.

Sharing some curious looks; they stalked through the house, eventually finding the room where Gray had seen  _it_. Whatever _it_  was.

_I hope Natsu's singing something embarrassing; at least I won't be the only one._

Gray pointed a finger towards the corner of the room with an amused expression; Gajeel and Sting were, for some reason crouching, as if it would make them less noticeable; Juvia was only peeking her head in, afraid of what was about to be seen, and Rogue was left to stand behind them.

He wasn't very impressed. It was just Natsu and Lucy; making out on the bed, no big deal really. The others thought differently though. Sting looked like he was watching his favorite tv show, Gajeel and Gray were all red in the face and shaking with their hands covering their mouths, apparently trying not to laugh like idiots and expose them all. Juvia kept stealing glances at Gray –Rogue could only guess what was going on  _there_.

_Ugh, boooring. Now if they were –_

As soon as he let the thought loose, it started happening. Lucy had sat up, her arms crossed against her chest, about to pull her shirt over her head.

_Now it gets interesting. God I feel like a perv but everyone else is here so it makes it okay…right? Right._

Then Lucy made eye contact. She froze and her eyes bulged. She would put a puffer fish to shame. The girl sucked in some air and when she released it Rogue would not have been surprised if the glass window shattered. Lucy then lurched to the side and grabbed something off the table next to the bed and launched it at the doorway.

"Fuck!"

* * *

Never before had Lucy Heartfilia wished she could evaporate into thin air. One minute she was surrounded by warm arms and sloppy kisses and then she was staring down five  _creeps._ And not a single one looked ashamed at being caught.

Except maybe for Rogue. He was crouched on the floor in the hallway, leaning into his hands and moaning curses. The object Lucy had thrown was a guitar tuner, a sturdy one at that.

Sting looked to be enjoying himself immensely; laughing at Rogue's pain and then slapping Natsu on the back, as if he were a proud father. Gray and Gajeel were on the floor laughing incoherently while Juvia was extremely red and fidgety.

And then there was Natsu. Standing there with his shirt off looking so _nonchalant_.

Lucy wished she could beat them all brainless. She'd gotten only a small bit of satisfaction from Rogue's misery.

Lucy huffed at the room in general and then stomped out to find the bathroom with Juvia following close behind.

"Lucy please don't be mad at me!" the blue woman was whispering hurriedly as Lucy washed her face with some water.

Lucy's body felt hot. Really hot. Not only from the make out session but from the rage of being peeped on. She felt like she could breathe fire.

And then she saw her friend's nervous expression in the mirror and laughed.

She wasn't exactly sure why at first. Lucy couldn't remember ever feeling this way before. Ever since her mother had died she'd been so lonely. Sure she had Mrs. Spetto and everyone else, they all loved each other dearly but it wasn't the same. They weren't her confidants, they didn't tease her or play with her anymore and they definitely would never have snuck around her room to watch her kiss a boy. Lucy giggled more at the picture that formed in her head. Never had she imagined she'd have friends like the ones she'd made in the past week, granted they're a bunch of scheming perverts but she still loved them. She felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes and had to wipe them away with the back of her hand.

"Please don't cry Lucy we didn't mean to upset you! Honestly I had no idea what we were about to see."

"I'm fine, really. I've been so busy lately I think my emotions are finally catching up." It was true; she'd spent three whole months obsessing over her future but this past week all she could think about what was work and sleep.

Juvia pulled the blonde into a hug; it was Lucy after all that had listened to her sad story and instead of feeling sorry for her, she offered her help and now because of that she was getting closer to Gray. The two had quickly forged a bond borne of loneliness and both were grateful for the new found friendship.

"So how did you all manage to get in the door without a sound? Those three are never quiet." Lucy had decided to just laugh at the whole situation, what else was there to do? She doubted that Natsu would have been able to keep it quiet. What is  _it_  anyway? They just kissed; they weren't dating or anything…were they? She entertained the thought –if they were; who cared? Lucy groaned –Mira for one –and the rest of Fairy Tail. All these thoughts were making her head spin; she tried to comfort herself with another thought; that it could have been much worse…

Juvia cleared her throat, "Well…Gray was taking the cats inside –I'll tell you about  _that_  later –he came back out all flustered and said we needed to see something."

_Oh Gray you will pay for this._

"So…um...how did it happen?" Juvia's eyes were wide again as she lowered her voice. Lucy told her about the morning spent with Natsu while Juvia interjected with questions on how she could get Gray to invite her out somewhere alone and take her back to his house.

"Well don't take this the wrong way but I heard him tell Loke that he doesn't like pushy women. I think it might intimidate him…just…I don't know…be natural? I mean he's obviously interested, he doesn't seem like the type to lead someone on…have you guys talked about how you first saw him?"

"No…not really. Not since the first time at Fairy Tail when he pushed me away. It was really hard just to tell you…Gajeel is the only other person that knows and I never even told him what it had to do with Gray."

"Just give it time Juvia. Gray is a lot more reserved than Natsu…he is really persistent." Lucy let out a small moan of exasperation; the guy hadn't given her any peace since they'd met.

The two women continued their conversation until they were interrupted by a demanding sound. A cat had just hopped onto the counter; it wasn't Happy though.

"I thought Natsu only had one cat."

"Oh that one is Rogue's –or Sting's, I don't know but  _oh my god_  Lucy," Juvia leaned in closer, "they have  _playdates_."

"What," Lucy blinked owlishly, "You're not serious."

"I couldn't make it up if I tried."

"That's either really cute or…"

"Weird."

"Yeah I have got to see this."

Lucy picked up the rust colored cat and carried him to the garage where everyone else was setting up their instruments. Gajeel's drum set was towards the back wall and scattered in front were several amplifiers and mic stands.

 _It's going to get really loud in here, maybe I should have brought ear plugs_.

Lucy was remembering how intense the music was at Fairy Tail and hoped she wasn't about to have her ear drums shattered. On a side wall were many spray-painted designs, the largest being the words "The Dragon Slayers".

Rogue flinched when she sat on the couch next to him; he too had a cat on his lap and was holding a bag of ice to his forehead.

"Well I'd say sorry...but I'm not...I'm sure you understand." Lucy tried to keep the smirk off her lips when she heard snickering coming from the other people in the room; Rogue only grunted in response.

The fluffy ball of fur was snuggling into her chest when Natsu turned to look over, "Oi Sting! Get your pervy cat off her, that's Happy's spot!" At his name, the blue cat jumped playfully on the couch causing the other two to pounce on him.

"Don't talk shit about Lector, he'll kick your cat's ass any day! Help me out here Rogue." He only received a glare in answer.

Watching the cute scene unfolding next to her, Lucy asked the room, "So did you guys meet at a cat lover's convention or something?"

Over at the table, Gray was choking violently on something and Juvia was pounding on his back while trying to suppress her giggles. The three cat owners turned to stare at her.

"No!"

"That's not funny!"

*glare*

Gajeel was making a face, so Lucy directed a question at him, "Why don't you have one?"

Lucy thought Juvia might give herself an aneurysm with the amount of laughter she was suppressing. The pale woman was remembering all the times she'd heard Gajeel moaning about not having a cat of his own and then the time he dragged her to the pet store to help him pick one out only to get nearly clawed to death. She'd swore she'd never tell.

"Shut it Bunny Girl, I don't need a shitty cat!"

"Bunny Girl?! What the heck does that mean?"

"That little performance of yours last week! You were hopping around so much it reminded me of a bunny."

There was a sneer tugging at his lips when Lucy grabbed a pillow to pull over her face and groan into it. It had been open mic night at Fairy Tail on her second day. Halfway through Lucy's shift Mira had practically shoved her onto the stage; insisting it was a rite of passage for employees. With Erza looking on, Lucy couldn't refuse, they were both scary, scary women. Mira's song of choice was an upbeat pop song with thankfully easy to remember lyrics. At first she'd been mortified but the crowd had seemed to love it; by the second verse she found herself fully committed and enjoying it immensely. Looking back, she agreed there had been a lot of jumping and ass-shaking. Apparently it had made enough of an impression to warrant a nickname.

"I thought it was really cute Lucy, we should sing one together next time." Juvia had finally composed herself enough to speak.

"Yeah…maybe…"

"Just don't dance anymore you might give everyone in the place a nosebleed." Gray said a little too seriously causing Juvia to blush.

"Okay Rogue man up it's time we start practice." Sting was standing next to Natsu, both had their guitars strapped to them and looking impatiently at the man on the couch. Natsu was more smug than anything and actually wished they'd all get the hell out his house so he could resume his activities with Lucy. Every time he caught her eyes they'd share a mutual blush and the blonde thought that Natsu's grin might be permanently plastered to his face.

"Did you all forget we're opening for Crime Sorciére next weekend? We need to work on a set list. Erza said –and this is an exact quote – 'I will castrate you with a flaming sword if you put on a less than perfect performance'." All the men shuddered; it was a fate worse than death according to them.

Shortly after that, Rogue strapped on his bass and after some discussion about the order of songs, they started practice. Lucy had never seen them play before and was pleasantly surprised. The tone was different than The Thunder Gods or Quatro Cerberus, less hardcore more alternative. The most surprising part was seeing the four men working together in harmony. Watching Natsu play his acoustic earlier was very different from the way he was now, singing into the mic, he would make eye contact with Lucy and wink while moving energetically with the music. It was  _hot_ and Lucy couldn't help but identify with some of the lyrics.

_Are you gonna live your life wonderin' standing in the back lookin' around?_ _  
_ _Are you gonna waste your time thinkin' how you've grown up or how you missed out?_ _  
_ _Things are never gonna be the way you want._ _  
_ _Where's it gonna get you acting serious?_ _  
_ _Things are never gonna be quite what you want._ _  
_ _Or even at twenty-five, you gotta start sometime._

_I'm on my feet, I'm on the floor, I'm good to go._ _  
_ _Now all I need is just to hear a song I know._ _  
_ _I wanna always feel like part of this was mine._ _  
_ _I wanna fall in love tonight._

_Are you gonna live your life standing in the back looking around?_ _  
_ _Are you gonna waste your time?_ _  
_ _Gotta make a move or you'll miss out._ _  
_ _Someone's gonna ask you what it's all about._ _  
_ _Stick around nostalgia won't let you down._ _  
_ _Someone's gonna ask you what it's all about._ _  
_ _Whatcha gonna have to say for yourself?_

_I'm on my feet, I'm on the floor, I'm good to go._ _  
_ _Now all I need is just to hear a song I know._ _  
_ _I wanna always feel like part of this was mine._ _  
_ _I wanna fall in love tonight._

_Crimson and clover, over and over._ _  
_ _Crimson and clover, over and over._

_Our house in the middle of the street, why did we ever meet?_ _  
_ _Started my rock 'n roll fantasy._ _  
_ _Don't don't, don't let's start, why did we ever part?_ _  
_ _Kick start my rock 'n rollin heart._

_I'm on my feet, I'm on the floor, I'm good to go._   
_So come on Davey, sing me somethin' that I know._   
_I wanna always feel like part of this was mine._   
_I wanna fall in love tonight._

Natsu's eyes briefly met Lucy's before the band launched into another song. The two women were really enjoying the music while Gray looked a little bored; it was obvious he'd been through all this before. After a while Lucy and Juvia joined him in playing cards until they decided to take a break and do something nice for the guys. Juvia had brought the fixings for sandwiches and the two of them busied themselves in the kitchen before taking it all in the garage and motioning for the band to wind down.

"Wow I think I'm in love!"

"Oomf –fanks ith –good!"

"You two are welcome at practice anytime."

"Couldn't help them Fullbuster? You really are useless."

At this comment, Gray launched himself at Gajeel, effectively pausing the practice for a good hour while they all alternated between eating and fighting.

Eventually they all calmed down enough to resume playing a few more songs before they decided to call it a night. The girls helped tidy up and gather the cats since most of the instruments were staying put. Sting claimed he was still pissed about his garage door, but when he casually mentioned that next practice could end with a party in Natsu's pool, everyone knew better than to believe he was holding a grudge. Juvia nearly knocked the table over when Gray asked if she could give him a ride home and Natsu feigned a stomach ache in order to prolong Lucy's stay.

Once she found herself on Natsu's couch with her feet in his lap and Happy curled up on her chest, watching Sunday night HBO, she couldn't bring herself to go back to her suffocating motel room. And when Natsu asked if he could kiss her again, it just added to the list of reasons to stay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own the lyrics to "Praise Chorus" By Jimmy Eat World


	9. Blue and Yellow

Lucy had thought her first week at Fairy Tail was a frenzied mess but it was nothing compared to the next couple of days. The upcoming Saturday night show was being headlined by Crime Sorciére, and Erza was definitely cracking the whip. As always, every single detail was being scrutinized by her watchful eyes, but this time was a little different, mainly due to the fact that Erza was dating the front-man of the group. Everyone was excited and Lucy of course was caught up in the whirlwind.

It didn't help that Natsu hadn't wasted any time in letting everyone know they were an item; if Lucy had thought the teasing was bad before, well it was nothing compared to now. The women were relentless; Cana had a new innuendo every time she opened her mouth, Juvia insisted on squeezing out  _all_  the details –even though Lucy made it clear her and Natsu hadn't progressed farther than what she'd already witnessed. Lisanna's giggles and sly looks were the tamest of everyone's reactions. The strangest one being Mira's; Lucy thought it wouldn't get worse than the fainting spell that occurred when she'd walked into Fairy Tail hand in hand with Natsu that first day, but oh was she wrong. Mira had suddenly developed the habit of rapidly opening doors and shoving her head inside, hoping to catch them –or anyone really –in the act. Apparently, the news had spread that the dressing room closet was a popular spot for a tryst but so far all Mira had managed to do was make everyone very nervous.

After a few days of catcalls and whistles, Lucy had offered to help organize Gildarts' office seeing as how the man was a complete slob and Erza had been breathing down his neck about it. The work was tedious but it was  _quiet_  and no one was around to tease her. She had just finished cataloging a stack of invoices when something caught her eye. At first she thought something was wrong with the lights but then she turned her head towards the door and caught a glimpse of flowing white hair.

"You really need to work on your technique."

"Whatever do you mean?" Mira poked her head around, not looking the least bit embarrassed at her behavior. Lucy saw the woman attempt to hide her phone in the back pocket of her pants while she was speaking, "I had just noticed that Natsu had gone off somewhere and thought maybe he was here with you…" Her blue eyes gleamed with amusement.

"Oh never mind," Lucy was not about to give her pointers on sneaking around. Rule One would have been 'turn off flash', "I haven't seen Natsu since I came up here. Last I heard he was helping Gray unload the supply truck."

Mira appeared to pout at the unjustness of their separation before she said, "Well, I need to take my break soon anyways, will you cover for me at the bar?"

"Sure, no problem." Lucy wasn't even supposed to be working this day, but most of the employees spent their free time at the bar anyway and she didn't mind helping out in the least. It was the middle of the week and there were no events happening until Saturday which meant Lucy would have an easy time managing Mira's job. She was gaining confidence in her drink mixing abilities and the tips were usually larger so that was big plus.

Lucy put aside the papers she'd been working on and followed Mira down the stairs. It was seven o-clock on a Thursday and probably the quietest she'd seen Fairy Tail yet. Cana was on a 'date' with Bacchus, which meant they were making out on one of the couches on the second floor next to a stash of bottles they had smuggled from the bar. A smattering of regulars were gathered around the tables downstairs, all who knew Lucy by name and treated her as if she'd been born there. She spotted a sweaty Natsu and Gray sitting with a few of them, most likely taking a break from unloading boxes.

At the bar was someone she'd only seen briefly before and they'd never been introduced. She was Lucy's age but looked younger, mostly due to her petite stature, her hair was blue but a darker shade than Juvia's and she was wearing an orange headband that matched her romper. There was a canvas tote slung over the chair next to her and a notebook sprawled on the counter.

"Hi there, can I get you anything?"

"I'll just have a berry smoothie, thanks." The short girl's eyes hadn't moved from the paper she was scribbling on furiously.

When Lucy returned with the drink, she introduced herself and the girl finally looked up.

"I'm Levy…have we met before? You look kind of familiar…"

"No we never met, but I've seen you around. I just started working here a few weeks ago."

Levy nodded at her answer but continued to stare at her.

"Can I ask what you're writing?" The blonde gestured to the notebook, hoping to distract the girl from her observations. Anyone with access to an internet search engine would find Lucy's face attached to photos of the Heartfilia's. Granted, any pictures were likely more than six years old, but it wouldn't be hard to connect the dots. Lucy was the mirror image of her mother, Layla.

Levy instantly perked up at the question.

"Oh this? I'm writing a feature for  _Magnolia Press_  about the upcoming events at Fairy Tail. I'm hoping it will be the cover story, some big things are happening soon!" Her hazel eyes were wide with excitement at the prospect.

"You mean the show this weekend with Crime Sorciére?" Lucy didn't realize they were that popular.

"Yeah, it's gaining a pretty big buzz right now, especially after The Thunder Gods were signed onto the Rock of Succubus tour!"

Lucy nodded, it had only been two days since the news had broken and there had been a raging party the likes of which Lucy had never seen before, and hoped not to see again any time soon; the aftermath was a complete nightmare. She was pretty sure a few of the regular patrons –and even some employees were still nursing hangovers.

"Quatro Cerberus too, right?" It was partly the reason for Cana and Bacchus' current celebration on the second floor; the other part being, they pretty much partied like that all the time anyways. Lucy secretly wondered whether the perpetually buzzed singer would be able to keep himself together for the duration of the tour.

"That's right! Annndd…" Levy leaned in closer to whisper conspiratorially, "I heard that an agent for the tour will be at the show this weekend looking for more bands to sign!"

"Wow really?" That meant the agent would see Natsu perform, Lucy felt a surge of excitement for him, the Rock of Succubus Tour was the largest travelling music festival in Fiore. Nearly every band got major recognition afterwards and the possibility of being signed to a popular record label would soar.

"Yep! Not only that but if Fairy Tail can get enough press the next couple of weeks they have a good chance to be chosen for the first stop! That's why I'm writing the feature, I want to get this place as much attention as possible."

"That's great! Is there anything I can help with?" Lucy's head was nearly spinning from all the new possibilities, now she was just as pumped up as everyone else for the upcoming show. She wanted to do anything she could to help Natsu and friends get their band recognition; she'd tagged along to a few more practices earlier that week and knew they had a good shot at getting the agent's attention.

"Actually, yeah," Lucy noticed that the girl started fidgeting nervously and twirling her hair, "I need to interview the members of the opening act, The Dragon Slayers, but …" Levy groaned loudly, "it didn't go too well last time."

"How do you mean?" The blonde was definitely interested in this.

"Well, most of them were really nice and gave great interviews but one of them…ugh! He was so rude!" Levy's nostrils flared at the memory. "One of the bartenders here had told me a little bit about the band since he was supposedly friends with them; he'd mentioned they were big animal lovers…" Levy was shaking her head now, "I should have caught on that it was a joke or something…well, anyway I ask the guy about it and he totally  _flips_. Started insulting me; calling me 'shrimp' and other stuff," her face was gradually getting redder as she spoke, "well he hit a button when he started making fun of my height so I grabbed a drink from the bar and poured it in his face!" Levy had to take a deep breath after this, giving Lucy time to compose herself.

She was torn between feeling bad for Levy and wishing very much that she could have seen the look on Gajeel's face after he had a drink thrown on him. Levy didn't need even need to say his name, what other man at Fairy Tail had a temper and a weird complex about cat ownership?

"Well if it helps, you're not the only one to tempt his wrath over the cat thing…" Lucy was remembering his snide remarks about her karaoke abilities and the nickname she'd earned herself, "why don't you come with me to their practice before the show on Saturday? I know they won't mind and you'll get to talk to them all together, it might be less awkward that way."

"Are you sure? I mean it's a great idea but you think they'd be okay with that?"

"Of course, they love it when us girls are there don't they Lucy?" Juvia had sat down at the bar next to Levy and joined the conversation.

"Because you make the best food!" Natsu was walking past; he had resumed his job of carrying boxes to the supply room.

"And you guys have got some nice boo-" Sting was following close behind Natsu, carrying boxes of his own. At his words, the man in front of him stopped abruptly and dropped his haul.

"What was that?" Sting couldn't answer because he'd just been tackled by Natsu; Gray dived in a moment later and before you knew it there was a large brawl in front of the bar that was slowly moving into the kitchen, effectively preventing any more work from being done.

"Bunch of savages," Loke had appeared next to Lucy and was taking in the scene in front of them, "I don't understand why you women enjoy guys like this…" he sighed dramatically, "when you could be with a classy man like me," he pushed his glasses up farther onto his nose and grinned flirtatiously at the three women. Right then, a stray shoe hit him in the face causing him to curse loudly before joining the fray himself.

Lucy and Juvia were pretty much used to seeing the fighting by now; both of their thoughts were focused on the aftermath, mainly cleaning up the various scrapes and bruises on the boys. Juvia knew Gray would push her away at first but with some gentle prodding he would give in and let her clean him up while Natsu on the other hand would immediately slump to Lucy and exaggerate his wounds to gain her attention. The two rolled their eyes and faced away from the fight to continue their conversation.

"Anyway, are you excited about the move tomorrow?" Juvia was addressing Lucy with a shy smile. The two women had found an apartment together only a few days earlier and were hoping to have everything settled in for the weekend. Juvia could hardly contain her glee, she'd been living at a halfway house for six months and once she'd found a job (at Fairy Tail of course!) she'd been approved to move out on her own. The best part was having someone like Lucy to room with; she couldn't believe how quickly her life had turned around since meeting her. She was beginning to feel like a whole new person.

Lucy let out a squeal, "I can't wait!" her mind was filled with visions of eating food from her own kitchen, quiet nights curled up with a book where she couldn't hear people on either side of her and above her head and, most importantly, a large walk-in closet.

After a while the petite girl drew their attention back to the melee occurring a few feet away, "So this is normal right? We shouldn't be concerned?"

Levy was watching on in horror as Erza had just joined the brawl and began unceremoniously stomping on body parts in her quest to subdue all the men on the ground. It was around this time that Mira returned from lunch and Lucy decided to resume her task upstairs in the quiet office. Before she left, she made sure to confirm with Levy that they would meet at Fairy Tail on Saturday then go to the practice together.

Upstairs Lucy busied herself with filing away the rest of Gildarts' paperwork, after she'd managed to get it somewhat organized, she moved over to his desk to clean it off and make it more presentable. She had been facing away from the door, focused on her task when she felt a pair of warm arms wrap around her waist, causing her to squeak.

"Luuuucyyyyy," Natsu was snuggling his face against her neck, "my head hurts."

"Well that's what you get for fighting, stupid!" She turned and playfully smacked him, making him groan again and pull her closer, placing his head once again on her shoulder.

"Ack! Let go of me! You're all sweaty and gross!" Her protests only made him squeeze her tighter and she yelped when he rubbed his damp head all over her neck and chest.

She finally managed to push him away and giving up, he leaned back in one of the chairs, letting out a sigh, "What are you doing up here anyways, it's boring."

Lucy was still leaning up against the desk, breathless, trying to banish thoughts of other activities that might make Natsu hot and sweaty pressed against her.

"What do you think? Doesn't it look better in here?" He shrugged as if he didn't notice those kinds of things.

She pushed herself from the desk and stalked towards the chair, ready to give him a piece of her mind. If he wasn't up here to help or at least appreciate her hard work he could bug off. She was about to say something of that nature when she noticed the mark on his forehead and let out her irritation with a loud sigh.

"No wonder your head hurts, you're bleeding."

Natsu lifted his hand to his face and felt around, wincing when his fingers found the mark and groaning in an exaggerated manner. Lucy rolled her eyes at the big baby and went to the bathroom to fetch some supplies.

"Oh playing nurse, Luce?" Natsu's grin had finally made an appearance when she returned with a clean rag and bottle of rubbing alcohol.

Lucy smacked his arm, "Shut it or I'll make sure this hurts worse than it should," she threatened.

Natsu rolled his eyes and moved his hand up to his forehead to push his bangs away when she noticed he had cuts on his knuckles too. Whatever he'd been punching –probably someone's face –she was sure it looked worse than his hands.

"Really Natsu, all this over what Sting said?" Lucy was examining his right hand.

"Huh? Oh, is that what started it? I forgot," he shrugged as she pulled up a chair next to him and started cleaning off his knuckles one at a time. Natsu tried very hard to keep his face expressionless. He could clean himself off on his own of course, but why do that when he could watch her?

She tried to hide her smirk; she had predicted this very thing would happen when the fight started. She briefly wondered how far Juvia had gotten in helping Gray.

"Aren't you worried you might hurt yourself badly one of these days?" She was inspecting his other hand now, "if you break your fingers you won't be able to play guitar." Lucy used a gentle scolding tone while she picked up a finger and wiggled it in his face.

"Oh have some faith Luce. I'm not a weakling, I won't break so easy!" He raised his other hand and made a fist as if to challenge someone to question his claim. When he saw the look Lucy gave him, he decided to show her his strength and pulled her onto his knee while she screamed and hit him, but he wouldn't let her go.

She gave up her struggle when she realized it was pointless, there was no denying Natsu of his childish whims; Lucy had learned at least that much in the short time they'd known each other.

She began her work more quickly this time, hoping he'd let her go soon because the longer she sat on his lap the more red her face became and her thoughts strayed away from innocent subjects.

Natsu looked way too pleased with himself so with the next swipe she applied a little more pressure, making him wince.

"Oi! Not so rough!"

"Eh? What happened to the tough act?" Lucy teased.

"Act? I don't act like anything!" He looked so much like a petulant child that Lucy couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh yeah? Well you're acting like a little kid right now!" She poked his chest and stuck out her tongue, demonstrating her own childish behavior.

"Okay since I'm a kid I guess I can do this!" He pulled her closer and planted a loud, wet raspberry on her neck, right where it meets the shoulder. Lucy squealed so loudly they were both sure it could be heard throughout the whole building. Loving the sound, Natsu gave her another one farther up the neck, closer to her ear while tickling her sides. She was giggling like a mad woman and trying to shove herself off of him. She was so breathless she thought she might suffocate when Natsu pulled her closer and captured her lips with his own. It was forceful at first, to get her attention, but then they both relaxed into it. The hands that just been tickling her softened into a gentle embrace and she dropped the rag she'd been holding to run her hands through his smooth hair.

They had been kissing a lot the past week but this one felt different. When their lips separated, his gaze was strong and when he spoke, his voice took on a more serious tone.

"I really like you, Lucy."

Lucy had to look away from his intense stare and bite her lip to keep from grinning like a fool. She didn't know why those words made her feel the way they did –it was obvious that he liked her –but the way he told her just now made it sound like there was more to it than he was saying. She could feel her face burning all the way to roots of her hair, the heat only increased when she answered him.

"I like you too, Natsu."

His face split into his signature smirk, "A lot?" he teased.

Lucy let a tiny giggle escape, "Well yeah, dummy," she leaned forward and tenderly suckled his lower lip, trying to banish her nervousness.

His eyes widened at the sweet gesture and pulled her against him, adjusting her on his lap so they were more comfortable. The kiss deepened as they pressed their bodies closer, Lucy's hands trailing his jaw and shoulder while Natsu's were dangerously close to her backside. He was just working up the nerve to give her a firm squeeze when a flashing light caused them to jump in fear.

"Goddammit, Mira!"

"Oh this is so going on The Wall!"


	10. A Girl Like You

It was the day of the big show and the first morning Lucy and Juvia had awoken in their new apartment. The blonde was struggling to find the right word to describe how she felt. Euphoric? Overjoyed? Exhilarated? Heavenly? She'd find a thesaurus and figure it out later but in the meantime, whatever it was, it was damn good. The two women didn't have much in the way of furniture yet but that didn't matter to them at all. Who cared if their mattresses were on the floor and if they ate their food sitting cross-legged on the carpet?

Lucy was thrilled to be out of the miniature motel room and away from the scrutinizing eyes of the landlady. No sounds reverberating through the walls, whether from the tv or the neighbors doing God knows what and she had never thought she'd be so happy to see a microwave.

While Lucy was worshipping the kitchen appliances, Juvia was basking in her newly reclaimed freedom. Not only was her previous residence strict, there was also little in the ways of privacy. Understandable, since many people there were recovering addicts but the blue-nette had always been an independent person; it had quickly become suffocating.

Both women had harbored fantasies of sharing a place with a girlfriend; movies and tv shows just made it look so _fun._ They imaginednights spent on the couch with a bottle of wine eating home-made goodies and talking about boys. It was like a dream come true.

There were already a few personal touches scattered throughout the apartment; Juvia had her _teru teru bozu_ dolls and Lucy had already begun hoarding books. The voracious reader was spread across the living room carpet devouring a mystery novel when Juvia announced she was ready to head to Fairy Tail. They had both donned the outfits they'd worn the night they met, Lucy with her maroon backless top and tight pants, Juvia her strapless leg-bearing dress; they were fairly dressed up for so early in the day but who knew when they'd be back. They were heading straight to the show from Natsu's house and if Lucy was sure about anything it was that everyone at Fairy Tail would be partying well into the morning. It wasn't an entirely uncommon thing for people to pass out and be locked in until the opening shift.

First thing on the agenda was to stop at the bar and meet up with Levy. When Lucy and Juvia arrived the place was already bustling with people, mostly employees making sure the bar would be running like a well-oiled machine for the evening. Erza was patrolling around with a clipboard, checking off lists, Gildarts was stocking the bar and wiping down bottles, Laxus and Loke were testing the sound system and the lights, Jet and Droy were in the kitchen doing prep work and Cana was already halfway finished with a bottle of top-shelf rum.

Mira had spotted them when they walked in and called Lucy up to the second floor to show her the new addition to 'the Wall'. It was a pet project the white-haired woman had been working on for years, using photos of various sizes and styles taken at the bar. She had wanted something special and different to show everyone at Fairy Tail they were a family and belonged. It was very similar to the collage of pictures Natsu had in his room except this covered nearly two-thirds of the second floor wall, expanding from one side to the other. There were more than a few photos of Loke surrounded by a gaggle of women, Natsu and Gray fighting with the other men, a rather large one of Cana slumped over a table with Bacchus behind her waving a bra above his head and then there was a generous cluster of Laxus shots decorating nearly half of one corner.

"Uh, Mira why is Laxus shirtless in all these?"

"Oh that's Freed's doing! He's quite the photographer, isn't he?" The barmaid's cheeks had turned a rosy shade of pink at those words, making Lucy not quite believe her. Laxus' photos were suspiciously close to a few candid shots of Mira, if Lucy hadn't known any better she'd assume they were a couple. As far as she could tell, the two barely interacted while working; if there was something going on between them it was hidden pretty well.

Lucy herself had already earned herself a few spots, there was one picture commemorating her first shift with Natsu, another when she had participated in karaoke and even one when she'd been dancing with Juvia. The particular photo that Mira wanted to show her had just been taken the other day. Lucy thought she might die of embarrassment when she spotted it. The picture was blown up to be three times the size of the surrounding ones and it was more intimate than most that adorned the place. It showed her and Natsu sharing a kiss in Gildarts' office, Lucy was straddling one of his legs and had her hand cupping his cheek while his head was tilted up towards hers. It was very sweet and good quality actually, if you took into account that Mira had been spying in order to get it. Lucy thanked all the stars in the heavens that Natsu's other hand wasn't visible; the one that had been snaking up her leg to grasp underneath her skirt.

"Was it really necessary to make it so big?" The photo really did stand out in comparison to its neighbors, the surrounding pictures were just several bands posing on stage; most she hadn't heard of before. It even looked like Mira had edited it, the colors were more vibrant and the edges slightly blurred; Lucy assumed she was aiming for a romantic vibe.

"Of course, all the pictures of couples are larger! I wanted them to be 'center stage', if you will. Fairy Tail honors friendship and love and what expresses that more than young couples?"

Lucy could think of quite a few things but kept them to herself. The woman practically had hearts in her eyes and she was positive she'd be clawed to death if she tried to take it down.

Going back downstairs, Lucy saw Juvia and Levy were waiting patiently at one of the tables. When she spotted them, Levy shoved her notebook in her tote bag and Lucy noticed there was a camera slung around her neck. In addition to writing the interviews, Levy was also photographing the bands and Fairy Tail for the article. Mira would probably be ecstatic at the thought of more additions to the Wall.

Outside, at the marquee, Lisanna and Bickslow were swapping letters and wiping them down, Lucy gave the girl a very obvious wink when they passed by, making her blush furiously. The blonde wondered just how much Mira would pay to get her hands on an incriminating photo of those two; snickering evilly at her new mission, Lucy closed Juvia's car door and they sped off to Natsu's.

* * *

Practice was in full-swing when the girls arrived; they tried not to disturb the musicians in the garage and instead settled down in Natsu's kitchen. Levy was already preparing for the interviews by setting up her laptop and a recorder, Juvia had brought lunch for everyone again and Lucy was content to play with the trio of cats. It looked like the boys had prepared them for a sleepover; there were two cat beds and a large amount of toys strewn across the living room.

In the kitchen, Levy and Juvia were discussing the upcoming events for Fairy Tail.

"The next month is going to be crazy for the bar, starting with tonight," Levy was explaining, "then there's some theme nights, like casino and karaoke that lead up to the duet competition! Are you two going to participate?"

This was the first that Lucy had heard of it but Juvia jumped in before she could answer, "I want to! I heard Gray talking about it yesterday…I hope he asks me to be his partner!" she fidgeted in her seat a little bit and blushed, "Gajeel says my singing is quite good."

"I don't know about me, I'm all for competition but I've only ever sung karaoke."

"You should definitely enter! The audience votes on the best pair and the winners get a grand prize. Even if you don't win, it's still a lot of fun!"

Lucy gave a noncommittal shrug. She couldn't tell them she didn't want to draw any extra attention to herself. The competition sounded like a big deal and she didn't want to get drawn into the center of something like that.

"Anyways, after that, I'm hoping Fairy Tail is chosen for the big send-off show of the tour. The headliners this year are Phoenix Grave! It's going to be huge!"

"Phoenix Grave?!" both girls nearly shouted at Levy.

Juvia had to restrain herself from jumping out of her seat. Clearing her throat to hide her embarrassment she said, "I used to really love Mace Orlando but he's got nothing on Gray…" Juvia's face had now turned a bright crimson; the color clashed horribly with her hair.

Lucy may have been a sheltered rich girl but she would have had to live under a rock to never have heard of Phoenix Grave. They were practically rock royalty in Fiore, everyone wanted a piece of them and their lead singer Mace. Yukino's bedroom had been plastered floor to ceiling with his photos so Lucy was very familiar with his wild good looks.

"Wow so you think Fairy Tail can handle that kind of star power?" Lucy imagined Gildarts would need to call in every employee to work double shifts to prepare for something like that. The excitement leading up to Crime Sorciére's show would pale in comparison.

Levy nodded enthusiastically, "Definitely. A show that big would bring in so much revenue I bet pervy ol' Makarov would rise from the dead just to get his share," she giggled loudly.

Natsu had told Lucy a little bit about the late owner Makarov Dreyar, he'd essentially taken him in after his father died and helped him become independent. Though, for all the love and devotion he showed his family at Fairy Tail he'd apparently had quite a lecherous streak.

"Yeah I bet the old man would be happy to see all the pretty ladies walking around the bar lately," Sting had just walked in and with a wink, grabbed a sandwich of the counter; he gave Juvia a salute as thanks while he stuffed himself.

"You've been hanging around Loke too much, man," Gray had sat down at the table with the girls and popped open a beer.

He ignored Gray's comment, "So Levy, where do you want us?" The remaining band members had joined them in the kitchen by this time.

"The living room should be big enough I think," she plopped herself in a chair with her laptop on her knees and her recorder on the arm while the others followed. She made a point not to mention or even look at any of the cat paraphernalia that littered the room.

Lucy noted the bright pink flush of Levy's cheeks when the petite girl had brushed past the gruff Gajeel, who was smirking down at her. The blonde couldn't stop herself from thinking those two would make an interesting couple.

Her eyes widened as she had a scary vision, _am I turning into Mira?_

Lucy's thoughts were interrupted by the scraping of a chair against linoleum; Gray was standing up to get another beer. She noticed Juvia was gone, probably in the bathroom. Lucy realized it was a perfect opportunity.

Gray had just shut the fridge door and turned when Lucy appeared right in front of him. She poked his chest with a stern finger and was glaring at him, "Okay you pervert, you owe me for that little stunt you pulled last week!" her words were practically a hiss. She'd been waiting to corner him for days and now was her chance.

Gray's eyes were wide with fear; he'd seen Lucy mad before, it was a stark contrast to her normal behavior. He wondered how something so cute could also be scary as hell; the image of a deranged rabbit came to mind.

"I'm sorry!" He held his hands at his shoulders, trying to appear as helpless as possible, hoping she would be merciful, "I just –I had to make sure I wasn't –you know –hallucinating!" Gray tried to stop his lips from curling into a smirk at the last part, "I mean _Natsu_ kissing a girl? I thought I'd walked into a nightmare or –Gajeel slipped me some drugs or –something!"

Lucy was not impressed by his excuses. He needed to pay and just a few minutes before, she'd had a sudden inspiration for his punishment. Gray would be embarrassed and Juvia would be over the moon. Two birds with one stone.

"You're going to make it up to me…" Lucy's voice was sweet but her finger was still poking his chest in a threatening manner, "by asking Juvia to be your partner for the singing competition," she ended her sentence with a bright smile.

Gray felt like the hounds of hell were closing in on him, "No –come on! Singing is lame –anything but that!"

Lucy gave him her most innocent smile, "I don't think so, this is the tamest punishment I could think of," her first one had been locking him in the freezer with Juvia or making him tend the bar naked –Mira would have been sure to add _those_ pictures to her Wall, she probably would have dedicated a whole corner to him, much like she did with Laxus. One song wouldn't be that bad.

She could see his mind working, trying to figure some way to negotiate himself out of the situation when Lucy heard the bathroom door open and her roommate coming down the hall.

"We have a deal then!" Lucy winked and snatched the beer out of his hand, "here Juvia, Gray thought you might be thirsty!" Juvia flushed brightly and stammered out a 'thank you' while Gray stared at the blonde with murder on his mind.

Lucy, feeling very pleased with herself, left the two alone in the kitchen and went to see how the interview was going. There weren't any drinks being thrown so she assumed it was moving smoothly. She'd been standing in the doorway for a minute before Natsu spotted her and motioned for her to sit next to him. He pulled her into his lap and nuzzled his head into her neck, giving her a tender kiss. Lucy blushed at how he could be so affectionate in a room full of people. Sting and Rogue were oblivious; talking animatedly with Levy, while Gajeel scowled and narrowed his eyes. Lucy could practically make out the thought bubble above his head, _How did that pink bastard get a girl; I really need to step up my game._

Lucy grinned and darted her eyes back and forth between him and Levy, wiggling her eyebrows all the while and had to hide her laughter behind Natsu's head as Gajeel's scowl only deepened.

Feeling like she'd just planted a seed, Lucy then turned her attention to the others.

"All of us can switch positions if we wanted to but the way it is now is the best for us. Natsu and Sting like the guitar, I enjoy playing bass, but Gajeel is only allowed on drums. Anything else and he tries to take over the vocals." Rogue made a face while answering one of Levy's questions.

"Yeah, imagine an old granny being eaten by a shark and you've got Gajeel's singing voice!"

"The fuck Sting? You're not any better! You sound like your balls haven't dropped!"

"I'm better than you! The last time you sang, you cleared Fairy Tail in under a minute! Why else would Erza ban you from the competition?" Sting had a huge smirk on his face, like he'd waited ages to make that jab.

Gajeel spluttered and clenched his fists, unable to contain his rage he jumped at Sting, almost knocking Levy out of her chair.

She snatched her laptop out of the danger zone and squealed, "Well I guess that concludes the interview! I think I've got everything, I'll save the pictures for later."

Naturally, Natsu joined in the fight, chanting about how he was the best singer, and when Gray heard the scuffle he jumped in as well, Rogue merely grabbed Frosch and retreated to the garage to wait it out. The girls convened in the kitchen and were left wondering how those four managed to have so much boundless energy, they all agreed as long as it helped them not fight each other in the middle of their set it was a good thing.

* * *

Several hours later, everyone was packed up and ready to go. The band members were all tense with excitement and enthusiasm; Natsu and Sting were more talkative than normal while Rogue and Gajeel became more terse. Juvia, Gray and Levy were taking the car, Natsu insisted on riding with Lucy on his bike and the remainder travelled in Sting's van with the equipment.

When they pulled around the back of Fairy Tail, the whole place was buzzing like a beehive. A few of the early-shift employees, Max, Warren and Kinana, helped bring equipment inside to set up for sound check while the band members were taken backstage to convene with Erza. Levy found herself a table with a good view; if she needed to she could stand on it to get the pictures she wanted. Lucy and Juvia were waved over to the bar to talk with Mira, Cana and Lisanna. Cana had a row of shots lined up along the counter and insisted it was tradition for the women to drink before the show started. After two each, the blonde and blue-nette ordered something to sip on while they watched the sound check. Concert goers were slowly filing in and gathering near the stage while various people tapped microphones, plugged and unplugged instruments and tested the lights. Occasionally, Lucy could spot Natsu on the edge of the stage waving and giving her an excited grin.

Eventually, Erza attracted her attention with a vigorous wave, "Lucy! Would you and Juvia do me a favor? I need help taking some refreshments to the dressing rooms. Apparently I underestimated the size of their stomachs," she made a face as if she was worried the musicians would eat them out of business.

The three women made their way to the back of the building carrying trays full of various drinks and food items. Erza had to kick the door to get their attention, it was quickly becoming very hard to hear; the noise of the crowd along with the music playing through the speakers was causing the hallway to vibrate with echoes. And the show hadn't even started yet!

Inside the room, it was packed. People were lined up against the sides, leaning on the wall-length vanity and climbing over each other on the couch. Not only were all the members of Crime Sorciére there, the Dragon Slayers had managed to squeeze in too. With the addition of the three women and trays of provisions, there was hardly anywhere you could stand without bumping into someone.

After they set their loads down on a table, Erza grabbed Lucy excitedly and pulled her to the side of the room, "I want you to meet Jellal!" A tall man with electric blue hair turned to face her, she was surprised to see a large tattoo across the right side of his face, she wasn't sure what she'd expected of Erza's boyfriend but it wasn't that. Despite his intimidating look, he very politely shook Lucy's hand and made small talk with her. Lucy learned that the two had been childhood friends and had lost touch for many years. He said it was fate that brought them together again; Crime Sorciére's first show had been at Fairy Tail.

On the opposite end of the room, Juvia had made a friendly connection as well, the drummer of the band was Meredy, a short girl with bubblegum pink pigtails, the two had met a few years prior and were excitedly catching up.

The other members of the band were mingling with the Dragon Slayers; Rogue and Gajeel were sitting with one of the guitarists –Midnight he called himself, while Sting was over by the food, stuffing his face with the blond bassist Racer, and the rather large and imposing keyboardist Hoteye. Lucy noticed that the other guitarist, Cobra, had followed Kinana out into the hallway where the members of Mermaid Heel were gathered. The all-female group was the third band on the ticket and had just left the other dressing room to head to the stage.

Lucy had just decided the room needed less people and was about to leave when Natsu pulled her over to him.

"Luce! I need you!" He was standing in front of the vanity trying to tie a bandana on his head. She rolled her eyes and took it from him. While she wrapped it around his pink spikes she couldn't help but notice his outfit; he looked very much like a rock star with his tight black pants, leather boots and a torso bearing vest. He was fidgeting with a piece of cloth that had been wrapped around his bicep giving Lucy the perfect opportunity to ogle him.

She'd briefly seen him shirtless at his house but hadn't had the chance to really _look_. The open vest exposed his lean muscles packed underneath tan skin which proudly showed several scars. His smooth abs lead into a prominent pelvic muscle, his pants hung low on his hips showing off that perfect 'v' Lucy thought only models and guys in smutty novels had.

Her breath hitched as she took in the sight of the sprinkling of hair that made a trail from his belly button into his pants. She forced herself to look away and instead found her own face in the mirror; she was burning up and her cheeks got hotter when she realized Natsu was staring at her reflection as well. His lips slowly curled up into a smirk.

_Oh God he knows I was looking at his crotch, please smite me now!_

"Thanks Lucy!" His face lost the smirk as soon as they made eye contact and was quickly replaced by his signature grin, "You feeling alright? Your face is kinda red."

"No problem! Er –it's a little hot in here –I think –I'm gonna go get some fresh air." She sensed more people had crammed into the room, if that was even possible, and oxygen was getting scarce.

"Okay! Just make sure you're backstage before we go on!" He gave her a quick squeeze around her middle and she could feel his muscles tighten as he held her.

Making her way into the hall, Lucy hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath, she'd had the sudden urge to shove Natsu against the wall and kiss him until her lips were numb, which was definitely something she didn't want everyone in the room to witness.

The flustered blonde made her way back out to the bar where Cana was waiting with more shots. After downing two more like a champ, the brunette yelled, "A girl after my own heart!" She pulled Lucy towards her and smacked her ass, causing a chorus of cheers to erupt from the surrounding men.

"Now kiss!" She couldn't see who it was but Lucy was positive it had been Loke's voice. Cana stuck out her tongue in the general direction where it originated before chugging the remainder of a bottle.

Lucy ordered two more shots and made her way over to Levy, the petite woman was already standing on a chair to see over the heads of the assembled crowd. After they swallowed their drinks, the lights dimmed and the background music faded while Gildarts strolled onto the stage to announce Mermaid Heel.

He made a few lewd jokes before the women took their positions and set off the show. All five members were wearing matching mini-skirts with patterned tights and they swayed to the music almost in complete unison. Their sound was very pop-rock, whoever wrote their music had a talent for creating earworms; Lucy knew she'd be humming the lyrics for days.

It was a great first act and got everyone pumped up for more. When they finished to loud applause, Lucy knew she had about fifteen minutes before the Dragon Slayers went on. Making her way backstage she found Natsu jumping up and down excitedly, obviously high on adrenaline. He hadn't gotten any less attractive than the last time she saw him and now her lusty thoughts were being helped along by alcohol.

She surprised him with a sudden hug from behind, throwing her arms over his shoulders and squeezing him tightly, "Naaatsuuu! Are you nervous?"

He turned to face her, noticing that her cheeks were pink and she had slurred his name a little, "Nervous? No way! I've never been more pumped!" He jumped in the air again and slammed his fist into Gajeel's shoulder earning him a hard shove and an expletive laced rant in return.

Lucy silently agreed with him. It wasn't only her boyfriend that was behaving more erratically; Sting was in danger of wearing a hole in the floor with all the pacing he was doing while talking to himself, Gajeel looked like he needed a stiff drink and a brawl while Rogue appeared to be meditating behind one of the large amps.

Suddenly, Natsu pulled Lucy into a tight hug. She was pressed firmly against his chest and could easily feel his heart beating through the thin vest. He pressed his face against her hair and inhaled deeply; her scent calmed him and helped focus his thoughts. He needed to be completely on point tonight. If they screwed this up they could probably kiss any hopes of a music career goodbye.

Someone was tapping on his back frantically –he realized it was Sting telling him it was show time. Natsu could hardly hear anything over the pulsing in his head, not even the cheers of the excited crowd could break through the sudden storm of frenzied thoughts. What if he screwed up? What if he let everyone down? There was a lot of pressure being the front man of the group; Natsu hadn't realized exactly how much until that moment. He wanted to make Fairy Tail proud and live up to his father's legacy.

"Natsu! Come on let's go!" He pulled away from Lucy and turned to see Sting was waving at him from the side of the stage. Gajeel was already sitting at the drum set and Rogue was readying his bass. The pumping in his head quickened and he felt like his feet were glued to the concrete.

He managed to take a step away before he felt a smooth hand cup his cheek and turn his face the other direction. His vision was suddenly filled with brown eyes and blonde hair; Lucy had pulled his head towards hers and crushed his lips with her own. Forcing his mouth open she slid her tongue against his and dragged her hands through his hair roughly, almost dislodging his bandana.

Sting was now pulling on his arm and cursing, Natsu couldn't hear a thing.

Lucy felt him groan in response to her actions and kiss her back just as forcefully. He took a step towards her, about to grasp her with his free arm when he was roughly tugged away. Sting had finally managed to pull him backwards towards the stage. Natsu looked too stunned to fight him. His eyes were wide as dinner plates and his mouth opened in a little 'o'. It was the most intense kiss they'd shared yet and he couldn't quite believe it had actually happened.

There was no time to think about it though, because the last thing he saw before being thrust into the spotlight was wide eyes, bright with lust and a pair of pink, full lips mouthing the words, "good luck".


	11. Of All the Gin Joints in All the World

Lucy's head was on fire. There was a battering ram inside her skull, pounding fiercely behind her eyeballs. Gravity was pressing on her limbs as she tried to will her body to move. With a groan, she gave up, there was something cold and hard pressed against her cheek and it was helping to douse the flames consuming her. She was about to slide her other cheek onto the cool surface when she realized her face was sitting in a puddle of drool. Her head popped up as a hand carelessly swiped across her lips, she instantly regretted the decision because the sudden movement gave her vertigo and she nearly toppled off the stool she was straddling. Blinking, her vision slowly came into focus, directly ahead of her were many glass bottles, twinkling under the way too bright lights. Her body was shifting to the side so she could get a better look at her surroundings when a loud clink and dark chuckle brought her attention back in front of her.

"Take this."

A glass filled with brown liquid was shoved beneath her nose. The sharp scent of alcohol sent her head reeling backwards and she clamped a hand to her mouth. The small whiff made her stomach lurch and she nearly retched right there at the bar. Taking a moment to compose herself, she looked over to blurry man in front of her and made a slight shaking motion.

"More for me I guess," He raised the glass as if a toast was being given, "to the 'hair of the dog' as they say," the dark liquor was swiftly downed in one gulp, "Wild!" the empty glass was slammed on the counter, making Lucy jump.

Lucy could only grunt in response as she pushed herself off the stool. The odor coming off Bacchus was nauseating and she had felt the sudden urge to pee. She hoped she could find the bathroom in this mess. There were people everywhere but none were moving and it was eerily quiet all throughout Fairy Tail. Light was streaming through the windows and if she didn't know any better she would have assumed everyone was dead. The floor was cold on her bare feet but the blonde barely noticed; the only sensations she could feel at the moment was a heavy bladder and even heavier skull.

The bathroom door was being propped open by a large foot, Lucy double checked to make sure these were the women's stalls before stepping over legs belonging to Elfman. She briefly wondered why he was in there when she saw Evergreen sprawled across the counter, her hair in the sink. A small smirk crossed Lucy's lips, poor Elfman was going to get an earful from a very uncomfortable Ever when they wake up.

Lucy took much longer in the stall than needed, she had closed her eyes and nearly fallen asleep; when she imagined someone finding her passed out on a toilet she found the motivation to get moving again. Moving Evergreen's hair away from the soapy water, Lucy took in her appearance while she washed her hands. Her blonde hair had limply fallen out of the careful style she'd arranged it in the day before, eye makeup smeared and she had strange markings on her neck. Trails of bruises lead from below her earlobe down underneath her shirt and across her breasts. Lifting her blouse she noticed more marks across her stomach and felt a squirming in her belly trying to remember what caused them. She was staring confusedly at her reflection, not being able to process this interesting information in her current state of mind.

After cleaning up her face a little, Lucy decided what she needed right now was her soft, warm bed. She entertained the hope that it might suffocate her and release her from this misery. Looking at the stairs, she knew she would find a couch on the second floor but it would have been a miracle if she managed to get up those steps.

Wondering where on earth Natsu might have landed in this mess, she started her search. People were sprawled across tables and overturned chairs, some even appeared to have piled together as a source of warmth during the night. There was Gajeel, slumped over the stage, a microphone lying near him and strangely, there were tomato slices stuck to his wild mane of hair. Levy was behind him, her face drooling onto the drum set, next to Loke who was clutching a guitar and clad only in his boxers. She jumped as she felt something cold and squishy between her toes; looking down, she realized there were pickle slices littering the floor.

Perplexed, Lucy moved on to the dressing room to see the biggest disaster yet. If her head didn't hurt so much she would have laughed. On one couch lay four people; Meredy had slouched forward, her head pressed to the coffee table with Rogue's legs propped on top of her back and his torso in Cobra's lap. Kinana was lying across the back rest of the couch with her head dangling from the side while Sting and the remaining members of Crime Sorciére were huddled in a pile near the overturned table, all snoring loudly. Erza and Jellal were sprawled halfway underneath the vanity, curled up with the band's banner looking quite cozy. Several people were smeared with cake.

Lucy turned around when she heard movement and low voices coming from the nearby closet. Before she could hide, two people emerged, disheveled and barely clothed.

Juvia made eye contact with Lucy and froze. She appeared to be wearing a man's shirt over a pair of tight black shorts. Before Lucy could ask what happened to her dress, she squeaked when Gray appeared wearing only his boxers.

Lucy covered her eyes and tried to stammer something when Gray harshly shushed her.

"Don't wake anyone. You should leave before Gildarts gets up; anyone left here has to clean up no matter how they feel," he looked around the room frantically, "er –you haven't seen my pants anywhere have you?"

"Uh –I think I saw something –over there," she pointed to one of the corners without looking. When she entered the room she had noticed a pair of jeans hanging from the lights above the vanity. She heard Gray sigh in relief and tug them on.

While he was covering himself, Lucy turned to Juvia. She was red-faced and biting her lip, Lucy silently waved at her to get her attention and exaggeratedly mouthed, 'OH MY GOD' behind her hand.

Before Juvia could answer, Gray harshly tugged her out into the hallway, "You didn't see anything right Lucy?"

The blonde smirked evilly, "See what?"

Gray smiled nervously at her and pointed to the back of the room, "Natsu's over there. You might want to hurry," and with that she heard the pair dart down the hallway, jumping over bodies and giggling.

Somehow Natsu had managed to claim a couch all to himself. He was sprawled on his back with one arm behind his head and the other on his stomach. He had lost his vest sometime during the evening and Lucy took note of the marks down his chest, they looked eerily similar to ones she had down her own torso. The bandana had moved down around his neck, last nights' spikes were limp and his bangs hung across his forehead. His mouth was open slightly and he appeared to be sleeping peacefully. She hated to wake him when he looked so cute but she didn't want to be stuck with the unlucky people forced on the cleaning crew.

"Natsu?" She whispered as loudly as she dared and shook him. No response. She tried again more forcefully and eventually he lurched awake. She had to cover his mouth with her hand to keep his loud groan from waking the rest of the room. His eyes widened when he looked around.

"Damn what happened?"

"No time to talk! Gray said we should get out of here before everyone else wakes up."

Natsu jumped up immediately, "No way am I cleaning up puke again!" She followed him out of the room to the supply closet where he grabbed a uniform shirt before checking his pockets for his keys, "Shit I bet Mira took them. Have you seen her?" Lucy shook her head.

They found their way to the bar, Bacchus had disappeared and as far as Lucy could tell no one else was stirring. Natsu jumped excitedly when he spotted what he was looking for. Lucy couldn't understand how he could still be so energetic while she felt like death –at least she didn't have to worry about him driving with a hangover.

A large fishbowl had been overturned onto the counter with piles of key rings spread around it; obviously Juvia and Gray had gotten here first.

Ten minutes later, Lucy barely registered that Natsu was following her into the apartment. He had been chuckling for some reason when he was helping with her helmet and she had found the smug look on his face irritating so she had stalked up to the front door. Juvia's car was nowhere to be seen and Lucy told herself she needed to remember to force some details out of her roommate when her head didn't feel like it would split in two. Probably next week, then.

Lucy never did find her shoes at Fairy Tail so walking into the room she realized how dirty her feet were. And then cringed when she thought of sleeping with day old makeup and dirty skin, she sniffed herself –yep she smelled like pickles. Groaning, she announced that she was going to take a shower. Natsu was rummaging through the fridge and lamenting their lack of couch and tv so she wasn't sure if he heard her.

Gathering a few items she was about to turn and close the bathroom door when she walked straight into Natsu.

"What are you doing?!" Even the sound of her own voice made her cringe.

"Don't be so loud, Lucy," Natsu put his hand on his head, "I'm taking a shower, what else would I be doing?" A smirk fluttered across his features before Lucy's shriek made it disappear.

"Not with me, idiot!"

He pouted and tried to protest but Lucy forced him out of the bathroom with a fierce blush across her cheeks. Lucy started the hot water and stood in front of the mirror wondering what she might have done with him the previous night to make him think she'd allow him in the shower with her. She shook her head, he was just teasing, obviously they'd given each other enough hickies to qualify as leopards but she would know if they'd gone farther. Lucy had more trust in herself –even if she was wasted –to have lost her virginity at a rock concert.

Twenty minutes later Lucy left the steamy bathroom with a fresh tank top and pajama shorts. She froze when she took in the sight before her. Natsu was sprawled face first across her bed, shoes and all. Not only that but there was a pile of dishes next to him with the remainders of two sandwiches, a bowl of cereal and –an omelet?

"Hey!" Lucy stomped on the floor as emphasis trying to wake him up. The shower had rejuvenated her slightly but her bed just looked too inviting to pass up. Hunger could wait –her neck and back ached terribly from sleeping on a stool and being hunched over the bar. She tried to move Natsu with her foot to no avail. Grunting in exasperation she gave in and crawled across him, wrestling as much blanket as she could towards herself and promptly fell into a deep and comfortable sleep.

* * *

Lucy held her breath as she placed the shot glasses on her tray. It had been two weeks since the Crime Sorciére show and she still couldn't stomach the smell of whiskey. She'd had the hangover from hell and it had taken two full days to feel semi-normal again.

In the days following the show, everyone had slowly started to piece together the puzzle of what had been one of the craziest nights at Fairy Tail to date. It had started not long after the main band had finished their set. Crime Sorciére and the Dragon Slayers had been asked to join the Rock of Succubus Tour, effectively ensuring that no one would be going home that night. Then Cana started a drinking competition –it was not clear who the winner was. A fight had broken out, knocking a table over, dousing Juvia, Loke and others in alcohol and ruining their clothes. Eventually, Gajeel took it upon himself to perform his own show, dragging a half-naked Loke and a very tipsy Levy onto the stage to be his backup. At this point, everyone started drinking more heavily in an attempt to drown out his singing. Someone had found the sliced vegetables in the kitchen and decided it was a great idea to start throwing them at people –Natsu vehemently denied any involvement in this as he was very busy backstage with Lucy for most of the night. When flying food didn't stop Gajeel's performance a large group of revelers went to hide in the dressing rooms to continue the party and save their eardrums. Lucy already knew the end result of _that_. She wasn't quite sure what had caused her and Natsu to be separated at the end of the night except she was grateful for whatever it was. The rest of the people in the bar didn't wake for another hour –Gildarts' screaming had effectively ended their slumber and they spent the rest of the day cleaning.

Lucy had just sat down to take a break and was sipping on a glass of water when Levy burst through the doors.

"Hey Lucy!" The little blue-nette looked very excited about something and was waving a magazine in the air. She plopped herself at the table and pulled out her laptop. She hadn't been seen at Fairy Tail very much the past few weeks claiming work was keeping her busy. Whenever she had a chance she'd come in, order a smoothie and chat while typing up a new article, "check it out!"

Levy dropped the magazine on the counter and pointed, with pride wide on her face. It was an issue of _Magnolia Press_ , right below the magazine title was a picture of a very familiar building, with the words _'Fairy Tail'_ strewn across in elegant crimson script. Right below was the caption _'Where you'll find Magnolia's hottest up and coming music'_. Along the sides in bold letters were some more familiar words _'Crime Sorciére smashes onto Succubus Tour'_ and then below _'Dragon Slayers are on the rise!'_ and at the very bottom, _'Press' very own Levy McGarden with exclusive interviews. So COOOOOOL._ ' Lucy couldn't help but laugh when she saw the eccentric editor Jason had added his signature expression.

"Wow Levy! You've got your name on the cover!"

"I know! It's the first time! Jason was so impressed with my coverage he wouldn't stop saying 'cool' –like more than normal- I thought he was having a seizure for a minute." Levy was practically squealing, "look inside!" Now she was hopping in her seat.

Lucy began turning pages, looking for anything familiar. There was a half-page article about Bacchus' superior alcohol tolerance, another one where Freed had been gushing about Laxus to any reporter that would listen –again- and then she saw Mermaid Heel's front-woman Kagura had a whole page to rant about the lack of female presence in Fiore's music scene and how she hopes to influence young women everywhere. When she got to the centerfold there was a picture of the Crime Sorciére members lounging on a couch, all looking pretty intimidating and just plain _cool_. Lucy realized she knew that couch and the wall behind it.

"Oh my God Levy! This was taken at the show! Was that you?"

"Yeah! After it was announced they'd be touring I asked if I could get a quote and Jellal –he is so nice, he said 'why not a whole interview, we're all here already'. I almost died, Lucy! I wish you had been there but you were _elsewhere_ ," She ended her sentence with a wink and a nudge.

Lucy blushed fiercely. It was common knowledge now that her and Natsu had a very steamy make-out session behind the stage, there were –to her utter mortification- pictures as evidence. Lucy had tackled Mira the moment she'd attempted to put them up for all eyes to see. They were currently shoved underneath her mattress; the only place in the apartment where no one would find them.

The blonde cleared her throat to try and hide her embarrassment and very obviously emphasized, " _Anyways_ ," and turned to the next few pages.

Finding the next set of pictures, Lucy nearly choked on her water; she had to cover her mouth to keep from spitting it all over Levy.

"Are you okay?" The petite girl looked very concerned and pounded on Lucy's back with as much force as she could muster.

_No. Not okay. I can't fucking breathe._

Lucy thought she must look insane. Her eyes were wide, face red and she was clutching the table.

"Wh –what is that?!"

After skimming through the article Levy had written about the Dragon Slayers, there was a full page collage of pictures from the concert. One of the largest ones being a photo of Natsu right after their set; he looked fantastic of course and all her lusty thoughts from that night had come flooding back into her brain right before she realized he had his arm around someone.

_Who the hell? –HOLY SHIT THAT'S ME._

Indeed it was. Standing next to Natsu, eyes gleaming with a hand on his arm and looking straight at the camera with her beautiful smile. Along the side was a small index of the pictures listing in bold letters the names of those photographed.

**_[Center-right] Vocals/guitar –Natsu Dragneel and friend Lucy_ **

"Eeeeeep!" Lucy almost threw the magazine across the room. Most of the night's memories had already returned but posing for pictures was not one of them. She couldn't decide if she was overreacting or not. What are the odds that her father –stuffy, rich CEO would read a music magazine from another city hours away? Granted, Magnolia is the biggest city in Fiore –aside from the capital- and _Magnolia Press_ the most prominent magazine in the music industry, but _still_. She wasn't even sure her father liked music. She realized she knew next to nothing about him when she really put her mind to it.

Frustration and fear were building up inside of her. She'd been so meticulous in her planning she would be furious if some careless picture taken while drunk was going to be her undoing. Finding her in Magnolia would be –should be- like trying to find a needle in a haystack. But her father was too clever and impatient for those types of games. To find the needle, you just need to burn the hay.

Levy, too, was clever. She had a front-row seat to Lucy's reaction and knew something was amiss. The strange nagging sensation had never left her mind; she knew she'd seen Lucy before. There just wasn't anything connecting her face to the reason why. The blue-nette was scrutinizing the blonde in front of her, she looked like she was having a panic attack.

"L-Levy...how m-many issues d-do you guys normally sell?" Lucy was speaking very quietly now, trying to calm her breathing. She quickly glanced around, it was a quiet day, no one else had noticed her sudden fit.

"Well our last Fairy Tail cover sold over 13,000 in the first week," Levy's journalistic instincts were prodding her to continue, "What's wrong Lucy? Worried Natsu will get snatched away by fan-girls?" Her tone was light-hearted but she was studying the blonde's face intently.

Lucy shook her head. "Uh –just curious… it doesn't say I work at Fairy Tail in here does it?" She was skimming the article, thinking it would have been completely insane if her name had been brought up at all in the conversation.

"No…not in the article…but Mira submitted some pictures for the spread on Fairy Tail's upcoming events," Levy turned a few pages, "Right there," she was pointing to another collage full of familiar faces. Lucy quickly skimmed them and moaned.

_Of course Mira would submit that._

It was the picture that had been on the Wall commemorating her first shift at the bar. There she was again, with Natsu's arm around her, this time with the Fairy Tail logo proudly displayed across her chest.

Lucy stood, not making eye-contact with Levy.

"Um –I'm going to find Mira. I'm not feeling well, I should go home." Levy noted that Lucy wasn't really speaking to her. The words came out soft, almost a whisper.

Levy was truly concerned now. _What the hell is going on?_


	12. Roller Coaster

Lucy's feet were pounding on the hot sidewalk, she could feel her heart pumping in her ears and with every breath she had to force back a scream.

_Stupid stupid stupid._

If Lucy was being honest with herself she'd actually started to forget about her secret. Everyone at Fairy Tail treated her like family, like she'd always been there and always will be. It was easy to push thoughts of her past to the back of her mind. It was like she'd been reborn when she stepped off the train that night so many weeks ago. That had been her dream, to leave Lucy Heartfilia and everything attached with that name behind. She had been so naïve to think it'd be that simple.

Seeing her name, next to her picture, with the bar's logo on her shirt, it snapped her back to reality so fast her head was spinning. She should have known better than to have let her guard down. How could she have such an extreme reaction in front of Levy? What was wrong with her? Surely everyone would know something was strange now.

After talking with Mira she hadn't bothered to look for anyone else to tell them she was leaving. Juvia and Natsu were both working and would probably notice her absence any minute –depending how long Mira would keep her mouth shut.

The blonde was receiving several glares as she huffed down the street; she was bumping into more than a few people in her haste. She wasn't even sure where she was going or what she would do when she got there. She really had no choice but to ride this out and hope that luck was on her side.

She stopped suddenly when she reached a newsstand. The newest issue of _Magnolia Press_ was all over the shelves. Grabbing a copy, she flipped through the pages again and found her face, not once but twice on the glossy paper. She had held on to the small, irrational hope that maybe she had hallucinated –or maybe Levy's copy was a misprint and was the only one with her picture in it. She felt the blood drain from her face when she realized _Magnolia Press_ had a digital archive as well.

_Ugh, what next Lucy? Get yourself on tv somehow?_

"Hey are you gonna buy that? You can't just stand here and read!" Lucy just shook her head at the vendor and silently placed the magazine back on the rack, continuing her walk. She decided to stop at the park, fresh air would help ease her anxiousness and she didn't want to be alone at her apartment.

She repeated to herself the words again that had helped her gain the courage to leave.

_I'm an adult. He can't control me. I'm free to live my own life. I won't be a slave to his money or my last name._

Thinking back on her situation, the face of her 'fiancé' floated into her mind. She couldn't remember what his family did, just that they were rich and that was pretty much synonymous with powerful. Her stomach clenched thinking of the possibility of being placed under the thumb of some stranger. The rage she'd felt when she learned her father's plan was resurfacing and Lucy wanted so badly to kick something. She was eyeing the nearest tree when a vibration in her pocket made her jump.

_Mira must have spilled the beans._

She smiled when she saw who was calling her.

"H-hey Natsu."

"Lucy! Mira said you needed to leave all of a sudden. Why didn't you say anything? I could have given you a ride home. Are you okay?"

"Whoa, take a breath," Lucy chuckled as he rattled off questions, "I just wasn't feeling good. The fresh air is helping." She felt weird as she talked to him, like she'd betrayed him somehow. She hadn't lied to anyone –she just left out some…details.

"You didn't go back to your place?"

"No, not yet. I'm at the park, it's nice here –I might stay for a while."

"Oh –alright…" He sounded relieved but also disappointed about something.

There was a short pause before Lucy said, "So I'll see you tomorrow? I'll stop by Fairy Tail on your shift."

"Yeah –tomorrow, okay…bye." Lucy said her goodbye and wondered why he sounded upset. He could be hungry for one, or maybe he couldn't find someone to wrestle with. Lucy wished her emotions were that simple.

She looked down at her phone and noticed she'd gotten some messages while she'd been talking.

**Lisanna: feel better soon! xoxo**

**Cana: Mira said ur sick –ARE YOU KNOCKED UP? TELL ME IT WASN'T NATSU**

**Gray: what'd Pinky do this time? Do I need to kick his ass?**

**Juvia: Mira told me u went home…get some rest & don't worry about dinner I'll see u in a few hours!**

Lucy stared at the words and could feel hot tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. She'd never felt this before. She was cared for –wanted. There was no way she was leaving this –feeling. What was it? She couldn't find the word.

Someone sat down on the bench next to her. The blonde's head jerked up in surprise, "Levy?"

"Hey," she was panting a little, "You walk fast!" Levy caught her breath before turning and smiling at Lucy a little nervously, "Um…did I…do something to upset you?"

Lucy's eyes widened and she touched the girl's arm reassuringly, "No! Um…it wasn't your fault," Lucy had no idea how to put her thoughts into words.

_I'm a terrible liar. I would feel better if I just came clean. I mean what's the point in hiding it from them all now? Ugh, I'm so stupid. If I didn't freak out about the picture this wouldn't be happening._

She told herself again she was probably overreacting. Did she really think her father cared enough to try and find her? Running away was a pretty clear cut sign that she wouldn't be following his rules anymore. And if she somehow did end up back home –things would never be the same. What would stop her from leaving again? She was almost nine-teen years old for crying out loud.

"I know we haven't known each other very long," Levy was staring at her shoes as she spoke, "But I want you to know you can trust me," their eyes met and Lucy thought she might start crying at her next words, "I want to help." Levy flashed her a shy smile.

Lucy didn't think anyone had ever offered to listen to her problems before. It reminded her of when she met Juvia and how relieved she had looked to find someone to talk to. Weighing the pros and cons, Lucy took a few shaky breaths before making up her mind.

_Ugh, why is this so hard? Is it because I've never had anyone to confide in before?_

"So um what did everyone tell you about me?"

"Only that you're not from the city. You've been here a few weeks."

"Yeah that's true…but I didn't mention I'd…run away," Levy only blinked at this news, waiting for more information, "My dad was forcing me to marry some jerk…so I left." Lucy exhaled loudly.

_Halfway there. It wasn't so hard…_

"Oh…well good for you Lucy!" Levy also let out the breath she'd been holding. She was expecting the worst –like Lucy was an escaped convict or something.

"Yeah…but that's not all…"

_Just say it. My last name is Heartfilia. My father's one of the richest men in the country._

Lucy sighed and tore her gaze away from her lap; she was in danger of burning a hole through her hands with the way she was staring. She shifted on the bench and looked around at the surrounding buildings. The park was near the center of the city and had a good view of the skyscrapers.

"Look there."

Levy turned to where the blonde was pointing. It wasn't the tallest building in the city but it was one of the nicest. She looked confused as her eyes trailed up the gleaming glass windows and found the large embellished 'H' logo at the top, right above the company name.

Lucy watched her friend mouth the word, and then dart her wide eyes back and forth between Lucy and the building.

"You're shitting me."

Lucy laughed and shook her head. Heartfilia Hotels and Resorts was the largest name in the hospitality business, they were in every major city in Fiore.

Levy smacked her leg suddenly, "So that's where I know you from!" She was relieved now that the mystery had been solved, "I wrote a report on your great grand-father in high school!" the blue-nette noticed the strange look on Lucy's face and decided to continue, "I remember reading about your mom…it made me sad…since we're the same age. I couldn't imagine…"

Lucy smiled softly at her and not really wanting to go into detailed family history she said, "Well that's my big secret I guess." The blonde felt like huge weight had been lifted off her chest, one she hadn't known had been there until it was gone.

"Dammit Lucy! It _is_ my fault!" Levy had just connected the dots of Lucy's strange behavior, "If I would have known I wouldn't have published your picture! I bet you think your dad's looking for you, huh?"

"I hope not. I mean, it's not like he'd actually be missing me. The only time we talked was when he wanted me to do something for him. But I guess it's a possibility."

"Then what's the big deal? It's not like we live in the dark ages or something. He can't make you do something you don't want to do. That would be…let's see…false imprisonment...coercion…maybe even kidnapping!" Levy pounded a fist into her hand at every charge she thought up, thankful for that criminal justice course she took last year.

"Yeah…you're right…I guess I've been a little naïve. I bet that's why my father kept me on a pretty tight leash," it hadn't stopped her from trying to sneak a few things under his –or rather Mrs. Spetto's- nose; but they were mostly harmless teenager things, running away was definitely the most daring of them all.

Levy chuckled, "Everyone has kind of been wondering about that. You seemed…a little clueless…about some things…" she said it in a teasing way, trying to hide a smirk, "I heard about your little washing machine incident…" Levy winked at Lucy's indignant face.

Lucy playfully smacked Levy's arm, "Oh my God, can no one keep their mouths shut at that place?" This time she owed Lisanna some payback. Lucy had been tasked with washing the uniforms one day; having never used one before and being too embarrassed to admit it…it didn't turn out well.

"Nope!" Both girls erupted into giggles and Lucy could feel her frustrations floating away each time she remembered something ridiculous that had happened at the bar –it was an almost daily occurrence.

When she could control herself the blonde said, "Thank you Levy. You really helped a lot."

"Of course. Almost everyone at Fairy Tail has a bad story or two to tell. Gray…Erza had a pretty messed up childhood…even Loke has some skeletons."

Lucy knew she shouldn't but she actually felt better knowing she wasn't the only person that had issues.

"So are you going to tell everyone else?"

"Yeah I suppose so. It will come out eventually, it'd be easier to get it over with. I'll tell Juvia tonight and then Natsu…"

The two girls decided to make their way to Lucy's apartment and got things ready for Juvia's dinner. Lucy's roommate happened to be an excellent cook, so the blonde was starting to learn some things.

Later that evening, after they'd had their fill of food they all settled onto the living room carpet for some girl talk. Juvia gave Levy tips on how to break through Gajeel's tough exterior; the two roommates had decided they'd make a cute couple and instantly the scheming had begun, much to Levy's embarrassment.

Juvia gave them updates on her progress with Gray; they'd both been pretty intoxicated the night of the concert and had a _flawless_ make-out session in the closet, but hadn't done anything since. If anything, Juvia said Gray had gotten more awkward in her presence which only made her attraction increase.

At some point, the conversation turned over to Lucy and she filled Juvia in on the details of her past. Just like Levy, she didn't seemed surprised in the slightest and mimicked Levy's words on how almost everyone at Fairy Tail had an interesting background. Soon after, the conversation shifted again and Lucy's revelation was treated like it was perfectly normal.

Even though Lucy was relieved at her friend's reactions she was still apprehensive and had a million _what if_ scenarios running through her head. She had taken a bath to calm her mind and hopefully wash off the stress of the day.

Lucy had just climbed into bed and started to drift off to sleep when she thought she heard the rumbling of a motorcycle.

_He would not._

She had just convinced herself that –no he definitely wouldn't –when she heard something hard hit the glass window.

Lucy had been ecstatic at first, when she'd won two-out-of-three rounds of rock-paper-scissors with Juvia. They had been gambling on who would get which room. One had a small balcony facing the street with a cute little planter dangling over the edge; the other one faced the alleyway, above the garbage cans. Now, she wasn't so sure how she felt about it.

Lucy took her time going to the window, scowling all the while. She quietly slid open the door and walked to the edge. She couldn't see anyone on the street. Her scowl deepened.

A head of pink spiky locks suddenly popped above the planter. The owner of said head had the biggest, goofiest grin on his face. As if he didn't just scale the side of her apartment in the middle of the night.

Lucy let out a strangled gasp and her fist automatically shot forward, effectively making the grin disappear.

"Yo Lu-AGHHHHH WHAT THE?!" the intruder clutched his face and nearly lost his grip on the railing.

Lucy was now grasping her shirt, trying to keep her heart from bursting through her chest.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Natsu had recovered quickly -he was used to being hit of course- and was pulling his legs over the edge of the balcony. One of his feet caught on the planter, dislodging it and making it fall with a loud crash and scattering dirt and clay everywhere. Lucy could feel a giant vein throbbing in her forehead.

Natsu at least had the grace to look ashamed of himself, "Uh sorry about that," He was smiling and rubbing the back of his neck, "So uh we gonna go inside?"

"No." Lucy stood in the door way with her arms crossed against her chest.

"Why?" He looked genuinely confused.

"What do you want?" After the day she'd just had her patience was definitely wearing thin. Also, she had hoped to put off telling Natsu until tomorrow –or later today- however you looked at it.

"What, I can't surprise my girl with a visit?"

"Not at two in the morning!" Her scowl was slowly starting to turn into a stupid grin. The way he said _'my girl'_ made Lucy's insides all fluttery.

"Well, I just got off work and I wanted to see you." Lucy thought she saw a little bit of pink on his cheeks.

"I know you know how to use a phone. You called me earlier."

"Yeah, but I like surprises."

Lucy bet he'd be pretty damn surprised if she kicked him in the kneecap right now. Clutching her robe around her tighter, "So now you've seen me, I'm going back to bed, goodnight!"

"Wait!" He grabbed her wrist before she could shut the door after her, "Can't we…you know…talk?"

Lucy sighed and decided she better just get it over with now, "Okay, we can talk." The stubborn blonde was still standing in the doorway, arms crossed.

"Inside?" Natsu was starting to look exasperated.

Smirking, Lucy walked back into the warmth of the apartment and before he could follow she shoved a broom in his hands, "Clean up first! And you owe me a new planter! I was looking forward to having flowers." She pouted a little and left him on the porch. Lucky for Natsu, she didn't hear him mumbling about how he'd only break any replacements the next time he came over.

Looking around the room, Lucy realized the only place to sit was on her bed and shaking her head she decided to sit against one of the walls, hoping Natsu would take the place across from her.

Of course, he nearly always did the opposite of what she wanted and he sat right next to her, shoulder to shoulder and entwined their hands.

Staring up at the ceiling he said, "So…why didn't you tell me you were leaving? We could have ditched work together and done something fun."

"I…just wanted some time to myself. Is that why you sounded upset on the phone?" Lucy tried not to smile too much at the thought of him pouting at the bar all night because he'd been left out.

"Maybe. So why'd you need to be alone? Gray said Juvia was avoiding his questions…"

"Well, Levy took some pictures of us at the concert and they were published in the magazine…"

Natsu raised an eyebrow and shrugged, no big deal to him.

Lucy sighed and rubbed her forehead, trying to work up the courage. Why was it so much harder to say the words to him?

"I got upset because I didn't want anyone to know where I was…"

Seeing that Natsu had no reaction to this other than to keep staring, Lucy decided to just get it over with.

"Iranawayfromhomeandwasworriedmydadmightfindme."

_See? It's getting easier every time._

"Huh? Your dad? What's wrong with that?" He was frowning now, probably thinking of his own father.

"Well…what if I told you that he's rich…and trying to force me into a marriage I didn't want?"

Natsu 'hmphed' and crossed his arms over his chest, after a moment's thought he exclaimed, "I'd say fuck him! We all have the right to choose our own future."

Lucy smiled, wondering why she'd been so anxious about people finding out, "Yeah, you're right."

"So…rich huh? It must have taken a lot of balls to leave all that behind and come out here alone."

Lucy nodded and leaned her head against him, feeling a million times better than she had that morning. Why had she doubted all these people? She knew they'd accept her no matter what.

"I was pretty scared that first day, but it didn't last long. I met you that night…and now I have everyone at Fairy Tail. I've never been so happy before." Her face was buried in his shoulder, afraid to look at him and reveal her blush.

"Me too, Luce." Natsu kissed the side of her head while his mind flashed back to the night they met. The way she had been cursing and stomping after Bora, how thankful she'd looked when he handed her the purse, not to mention all the cute faces she made when they'd been eating. She had the best reactions and he really enjoyed it when he could bring them out, he just couldn't help himself.

After some silence, Natsu let out a loud breath, "Jeez is that all then? I thought you might be pregnant or something!"

"Pregnant?!"

There was one of his favorite reactions right there and he could barely keep himself from laughing. Her face was red and her cheeks puffed out, if she'd been standing she would have stomped her foot.

"Well, Cana was saying a bunch of stuff earlier and then Mira joined in…"

"Oh my gosh, we haven't even had sex yet! You told them that right?" She wanted to shake him, if he'd let on that the two of them were more intimate than they were, Lucy would never hear the end of it. But then, _he knew_ they weren't so why on earth would he think that…? She felt enraged then, what the hell kind of girl did he think she was? How could he… how in the world was _that_ the conclusion he'd jumped to? If someone could have drawn what the inside of Lucy's mind looked like at that moment, it would have been a jumbled mess of question marks and curse words.

Before she could say anything else though, Natsu turned and grabbed her excitedly, "Yet?!"

Lucy's mouth popped open and her cheeks flamed red.

_Oh –oh no. Did I say that out loud?_

"Huh? I don't know what you're talking about." Playing dumb was her easiest option, by far. She was thankful the conversation had turned away from her father but it was not the direction she was hoping.

The man next to her was looking quite smug, and with a very un-Natsu-ish drawl, he said, "Well, well, Lucy…I knew you were having pervy thoughts about me," He turned to face her and whispered in her ear, "I wouldn't mind making your dreams come true…"

She had to bury her face in her hands after she saw the way he looked at her, "You took that line straight from Loke! And stop looking at me like that it's creepy!"

"Ahhh come on…Loke said that one works all the time." He had reverted back to his normal self with a childish pout.

"Well, he's a big fat liar because that was the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

Natsu chuckled, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

After some silence, Lucy took a sidelong peek at Natsu and saw he had the stupidest look on his face. She could imagine what he might be thinking and it made her face burn.

"O-okay …well I've had a long day, I'm kinda tired…"

"Yeah, me too! I've been waiting for you to say something!" He started unlacing his shoes.

Lucy had a feeling of déjà vu, "No," She was standing now, "I don't think so."

Natsu was pouting, "But Luuucyyy, we've slept in the same bed together before."

"That was a fluke! One time thing!" She'd been so hungover and the damn bastard had stolen her bed...no way was she going to sleep on the floor. He'd already passed out when she joined him and she was too tired to care about anything else. This was very different! Didn't he know that? Her face flushed thinking of the …compromising position they'd woken up in, "You have your own bed, which is way better than my crappy mattress on the floor!"

He continued to pout about how it was _not_ better while Lucy pushed him through the apartment.

"Shh! Don't wake Juvia!" If her roommate saw this, Gray would surely find out and then all of Fairy Tail would know about Natsu's late-night visit. Lucy wouldn't be able to handle it.

When they reached the door, Natsu pulled Lucy into a quick embrace. At least he'd meant it to be quick, once their lips found each other, neither wanted to pull away. His lips slanted over hers and he held her face with his hands. He'd been waiting to do this _all_ day.

He'd been so worried when she'd left the bar without saying a word, and then he'd been annoyed that he was stuck there while he could have been helping her with whatever was going on. He'd shrugged off her worries about her dad but if he was being honest it actually really pissed him off. He channeled his anger into their kiss, the intensity making Lucy squirm and pull away.

As much as she enjoyed kissing Natsu, Lucy was afraid if they continued any longer she'd change her mind about making him leave.

Breathless, he said, "Okay okay I'm going," his ever present smirk on his face as he leaned down and gave her one last deep kiss, "See you later!" He made it about halfway down the hall before Lucy heard him say, "Oh I almost forgot!" and came bounding back in her direction.

Pulling her in close, he whispered, "So…since you're super rich and all…can I…borrow some money?"

Lucy's shriek was so loud, it could have woken the whole street. Natsu had to put his arms out in front of him as defense from her continuous slaps to his chest, when he doubled over in laughter she started aiming for his head.

"Y-you! Ugh! Good bye!"

"I'm sorry I'm sorry!" He didn't sound very apologetic as Lucy closed the door on him.

The blonde waited a minute before dashing outside to her balcony hoping to catch him on his way out. She did, and when he glanced up to her apartment their eyes met and she waved. Lucy wanted to make sure he knew she wasn't upset about anything. His joke was stupid but what else could she expect? She felt so different from that morning. It was a huge relief knowing that they could laugh about it, and then with a frown she realized she'd probably be in for much worse teasing when the others found out.


	13. Alone Together

Lucy awoke the next day to sounds of clattering pots and pans coming from the kitchen. Her roommate was definitely a morning person, she was always up at the crack of dawn with a cheery smile; Lucy had a really hard time imagining the woman as a drug addict. Gajeel had told Lucy a little about their years on the streets and he confirmed that Juvia's personality had taken a complete turn in the past couple of weeks. He'd thanked Lucy for being a good influence on his oldest friend and then actually _smiled_ at her when he said it. Lucy had to run to the window to check if pigs were flying.

The blonde rolled over and groaned; the anxiety of the previous day had drained her energy, not to mention the late-night visit from a wall-scaling intruder had made it difficult to fall asleep. She'd laid in bed for over an hour thinking about _him_ –Lucy found it more than a little irritating how Natsu not only invaded her personal space but her mind as well. Knowing she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep she pulled herself off the mattress and slowly started her morning.

Thankfully, she and her roommate had the day off. They planned to show up at Fairy Tail anyway, with lots of treats in tow. Lucy and Juvia had vastly different backgrounds but everyone accepted the two newest employees immediately. Both women were so happy to have a family and place to call home; they wanted to show their appreciation somehow –starting with piles of baked goods.

Juvia was in the kitchen with her headphones in one ear and swaying to the music while she gathered the necessary ingredients for the planned treats. She was pretty sure she'd found the song that her and Gray would sing for the competition. She'd compromised with him and promised she'd find a song where the guy didn't need to do much _singing_ –and then she giggled to herself imagining Gray's reaction to the lyrics. She hadn't quite figured out the dark-haired man yet, his reactions to her were never the same; sometimes indifferent, like before, but then he'd surprise her and say or do something very kind. Her favorite was when she managed to make him blush and stutter, usually when she would casually mention their time spent in the dressing room closet.

Lucy announced her presence with a loud yawn.

Juvia turned down her music and asked, "Trouble sleeping?" She could barely contain her smirk.

"Yeah…" Lucy hid her blush by opening a cabinet and rummaging through the contents for a minute before grabbing a coffee cup.

Juvia chuckled a little bit, she wasn't clueless. And she definitely _hadn't_ rushed out of her room and pressed her ear to Lucy's door after she heard the rumbling of a motorcycle late last night. She'd heard the blonde complain enough times about Natsu's habit of appearing outside her window when she'd been staying at the motel; how would living in an apartment change anything?

The two started work on their little project, dancing to music all the while. They'd finished two batches of cookies and one pan of cupcakes when the doorbell rang. Lucy had her hands full pulling out another rack of goodies so Juvia went to answer, wondering who it could possibly be.

"Natsu?"

"Hey Juvia!" He was smiling widely at her and she thought if Gray ever looked at her like that she'd probably swoon.

"So you do know how to use a door?"

Natsu chuckled at her teasing, "Well…yeah. It'd be hard to get the surprise onto the balcony…"

"Is that Natsu?" Lucy had come to the door, still wearing oven mitts on her hands.

"Hey Luce! Surprise!"

"Eh? What's the surprise this time?"

At her words, Gray's head appeared at the stop of the stairs, he was carrying a television.

"Excuse me ladies…Juvia…Miss Heartfilia…" Gray nodded at each of them as a greeting when he passed through the door, smirking at Lucy as he did so. It took a moment for his comment to register.

"Wh-what was that?"

"Relax Lucy! I told Gray this morning." Juvia saw the blonde's shocked expression.

"B-but…"

"I know you already told Natsu," she winked at Lucy before going inside to see if Gray needed any help –he didn't.

"Yeah and I told everyone else!"

Lucy was thoroughly confused, still standing in the door way with her oven mitts and her mouth wide open. She wasn't sure whether she should be relieved or annoyed.

"That's a pretty cute look, Lucy."

"Shut up! What's with the tv anyways?"

"Well me and the guys thought you ladies could use some housewarming gifts." Natsu was rubbing the back of his head and grinning at her. The blonde felt a sudden rush of affection for him and grabbed his face with her mitts and kissed him as a way of showing her thanks.

"Whoa guys, keep it PG. Seeing ol' squinty eyes here making out is enough to bring up my breakfast."

Lucy turned to face Gray, "Jealous? I think I know someone that could help with that."

Juvia bit back a giggle while Gray flushed and coughed loudly, "Um we should see what's taking Sting and Rogue so long…"

"Don't worry about us guys! Just stand around with your chicks all day!" these words were followed by a series of grunts from the stairwell. Sting was walking up the stairs one at a time backwards with his hands around the end of a couch. Reaching the top, he looked over his shoulder and seeing Lucy, he dropped his end and walked over to her, ignoring Rogue's loud "Hey!"

With a deep bow he said, "Good morrow my lady! I hope you will be pleased with these offerings from your humble servants."

Natsu and Gray nearly doubled over in laughter at Sting's serious expression, while Lucy could only squeeze her eyes shut and pinch the bridge of her nose. She had seen this coming.

Rogue had to practically shout over the laughter to remind them all that he was still trapped behind the furniture on the stairs. When he finally reached the doorway with his end of the couch he copied Sting's "my lady" remark to Lucy's utter irritation.

"Okay guys! Just get it all out of your system now before I start hurting people!"

Her threat was barely heard over Sting's loud exclamation, "OH wow what is that glorious _smell_?"

"Smell? How did I not notice this?" Natsu quickly followed with his nose in the air, when the boys reached the kitchen, Lucy could hear several more exclamations.

"Cookies!"

"Did you guys know we were coming?"

"Damn I need a girlfriend!"

"Don't you dare eat them all!" Lucy stomped back into the apartment and started smacking people with the oven mitts, "They're not for you!"

Almost a whole batch of cookies quickly disappeared underneath Lucy's nose before the guys resumed their labor. In the past two weeks they'd all been conspiring with each other to find some furniture for the two women. One of Sting's couches had been reupholstered, Gray brought an entertainment center and coffee table from his spare room, Natsu and Rogue supplied the TV and gaming console while Gajeel's contribution was a small, round kitchen table complete with two chairs that he had apparently made himself.

"Where is Grumpy anyways?" Lucy had asked after admiring Gajeel's handiwork.

"Dunno, he just said he had something else to do." Natsu was suspiciously turned away from Lucy when he said this, like he was hiding something.

"Eeek! No, not the cupcakes! Those are for Erza!"

Natsu immediately choked and splattered white and red cupcake frosting onto the wall, "S-sorry!"

"You pig! You ate four?!" Lucy let out a loud groan of exasperation, "As much as I appreciate everything you guys have done, I think it's time to go. We won't have anything to take to Fairy Tail if you all stay any longer!"

Lucy had walked into the living room as she said this to find a new sight. Sting and Rogue were on the couch with their feet on the coffee table, one with a guitar and the other with his nose stuck in Lucy's current reading material while Gray and Juvia were cross-legged on the carpet about a foot away from the TV playing a video game and yelling at each other.

"Well just make yourselves at home!" Lucy's laughter made her sarcasm fall short. She shook her head and returned to the kitchen and after shooing Natsu away she started frosting more cupcakes.

The blonde was pretty pleased with herself when she finished. She'd never really been allowed to cook before and thought that for a novice, they turned out pretty great. Now, if only she could make sure they'd stay uneaten until they got to the bar…

"Oh Lucy good job on those!" Her roommate had appeared in the kitchen with a smug look on her face.

"Thanks! So tell me you steamrolled Gray on Mario Kart." Lucy had heard the shouting, it sounded like Juvia was killing him.

"No –actually," she lowered her voice, "I let him win at the end–don't tell him though!"

Lucy rolled her eyes, Gray had the potential to be a very lucky guy –she hoped he'd open up to Juvia soon. At least her roommate seemed content with their current relationship, she'd told Lucy that she'd moved things along pretty quickly with her previous boyfriend and it hadn't ended well. She was still working up the courage to bring up their first meeting and was fine with letting things progress slowly.

Lucy smiled over at her roommate, "You really take the whole 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach' thing pretty seriously don't you?" Juvia was preparing yet another lunch for the boys, "You know, if we spoil them too much, they'll never leave us alone!" She wasn't just talking about Natsu and Gray either, Sting and Rogue had also adopted the habit of begging for food from the two; Lucy was starting to wonder how any of them managed to feed themselves before her and Juvia came along.

"I know!" Juvia winked obviously at her, "And you know, there's another part to that saying you might not have learned yet…"

"Hey! Whatcha guys talkin' about?" Natsu's sudden appearance made Lucy nearly jump out of her skin.

"Oh –n –nothing…" the blonde was pretty sure what Juvia was about to say and was actually thankful for Natsu's interruption, sparing her from too much information.

"I was just telling her about the song Gray and I will be singing for the competition!" Juvia barely missed a beat with her response.

"Oh yeah? Well it better be pretty good to beat me and Lucy!" Natsu was holding the guitar now and strummed energetically trying to prove a point, Lucy assumed.

"What? I don't remember agreeing to be your partner!"

"Who else would it be? I've got some great song ideas, we're gonna own that stage!" At this, Natsu briefly returned to the living room to talk shit to Gray while Lucy threw her arms up in the air in frustration. She should have known Natsu would drag her into the competition.

A few minutes later, he returned with a smug look on his face, "Did you hear what song they're doing? I can't believe Gray's gonna rap, I hope Mira records it!"

"No! If she records them she'll do us too!" Lucy shuddered at the thought, "I'd rather not have my embarrassment available for instant replay. I don't even know if I want to do it anyways!"

"Aw why not?"

Lucy gave him a pointed look, "I don't really want to draw any attention to myself, Natsu. I thought that might be obvious."

"Why? Because of your dad? That's stupid."

Lucy's nostrils flared. She didn't appreciate her fears being downplayed. Natsu noticed his mistake and put a hand out in front of him to stop Lucy from pummeling him with a spatula.

"Wait! I meant…you shouldn't worry about that because nothing bad will happen…" his voice took on a more serious tone, "because I'll be here…and so will everyone else. You're part of the family now, Luce."

It was hard for Lucy to argue with him when he was looking at her the way he was. Seeing him leaning up against the wall, absentmindedly plucking the guitar strings and grinning at her, she could feel something unfamiliar blooming in her chest. It was warm and expansive, comfortable yet at the same time she could feel it constricting her lungs and making it hard to breathe. It didn't help that his words were tugging at her heart strings and making tears pool at the corners of her eyes.

Lucy walked over to him and stood on her tip-toes to give him a quick kiss, "Thanks Natsu that's really sweet."

"You don't have to be scared, I'll protect you!" His serious expression vanished as he wrapped his lips around her thumb and sucked away some cupcake frosting.

"Eww!" Lucy exclaimed as he released her thumb with a loud 'pop' and a toothy grin, "Didn't I tell you you're banned from the kitchen?"

"But look, I can't eat anything if I'm holding the guitar," Natsu grinned at Lucy's reaction to his clever plan, "so I appreciate the snack," he winked at her thumb and started playing the guitar again, this time singing a song she hadn't heard before.

 _I don't know where you're going_  
But do you got room for one more troubled soul?  
I don't know where I'm going  
But I don't think I'm coming home and I said  
I'll check in tomorrow if I don't wake up dead  
This is the road to ruin  
And we're starting at the end

He was grinning at her and following her around the kitchen. Lucy had taken up Juvia's task of preparing lunch while trying to ignore her new shadow; she was failing miserably.

 _Let's be alone together_  
We could stay young forever  
Scream it from the top of your lungs, lungs, lungs  
Let's be alone together  
We could stay young forever  
We'll stay young, young, young, young, young

Lucy kept turning around and finding Natsu right behind her, practically singing in her ear. She was now caught between him and the fridge and decided to give up and let him finish the impromptu performance for her kitchen. Leaning against the counter she tried to tell herself he was be _annoying_ , not cute.

 _You cut me off, I lost my track_  
It's not my fault, I'm a maniac  
It's not funny anymore, no it's not

 _My heart is like a stallion_  
They love it more when it's broke in  
Do you wanna feel beautiful?  
Do you wanna? Yeah!

He had leaned even closer to her and was staring right at her as he sang and swayed his hips and tapped his foot to the beat, trying not to laugh at Lucy's facial expression. He could tell she was trying very hard not to grin like a fool and he kept moving closer hoping to break her resolve not to smile.

 _I'm outside the door, invite me in_  
So we can go back and play pretend  
I'm on deck, yeah, I'm up next  
Tonight I'm high as a private jet

"Dude! Quit harassing your girlfriend and let her finish! I'm starving" Lucy rolled her eyes at the exaggeration, she definitely saw Gray shove a handful of cookies in his pocket earlier.

"It's not harassment! It's a _serenade."_ Natsu emphasized the word as if Gray was in kindergarten and didn't understand.

"Well you're doing it wrong. You're supposed to be outside her window with flowers and shit."

"Don't give him any ideas!"

"Whatever asshole, since you interrupted me I have to start all over…" Natsu was about to launch himself back into the song when Sting grabbed him in a headlock.

"Don't worry my lady I'll remove this peasant!" Natsu dropped the acoustic as he fell backwards and the two knocked into Rogue and Gray who were already on the floor on front of the TV. Naturally, a wrestling match broke out and the two women could only watch in vague amusement. They couldn't even complain if the guys broke the furniture; it was all thanks to them they had any at all.

* * *

A few hours later, everyone was gathered around the bar eating the last bits of cookies –Erza ended up smuggling the cupcakes into her office and hadn't come back out yet. They were all enjoying the calm before the storm; it was another publicity night, this time it was live band karaoke with Quatro Cerberus. Lucy couldn't believe Cana actually convinced Erza to allow it and was curious to see how the inebriated singer would react with other people on the stage. Cana insisted he wouldn't be drinking –much. Apparently, he was 'training himself' in order to make it through the three month tour.

Everyone's heads popped up and looked towards the door when they heard a loud slam and a curse.

"Rude!" Evergreen exclaimed loudly when Cana rushed past her and almost knocked over her tray of food.

The brunette ignored her as she stomped up to the second floor. It had gotten very quiet, Cana usually sashayed into the place half drunk and slurring innuendos so her current behavior was borderline bizarre. They could hear the muffled sound of something like ripping paper when Mira's eyes went wide and she practically flew up the stairs after Cana.

"Stop! What are you doing?" If Cana answered, it was too low for anyone to hear. Mira was speaking more softly after her outburst but nothing could be made out. A few minutes later Cana ran back downstairs and, after snatching a bottle of whiskey off the counter, she launched herself out the back door and into the alley.

Everyone around the bar shared a confused silence before Lucy decided to follow her. It was unlike Cana to take alcohol outside the bar, not that she wasn't capable of defending herself but there were more than a few creeps out in the city. Annoyed that none of the guys had moved their asses yet, she shot them a glare before following Cana outside.

She didn't expect to see the brunette only a few feet outside the door, standing next to a metal trashcan. On top of the lid was a pile of pictures that looked like they had been hastily removed from the Wall upstairs.

Cana turned at Lucy's footsteps and seemed startled to see her there. Her face was tear-stained and her lips were turned down into a grimace, so very unlike the normal lusty grin she always wore.

Lucy stepped closer and saw the pictures were exclusively ones of Bacchus and understanding flooded her brain.

"Wanna talk?"

Cana 'hmphed', "Not really much to talk about, everyone already knows I have shit taste in men."

Cana stared at the pile on the trash can for a minute before fishing out a lighter from her pocket and unscrewing the bottle of liquor. Lucy leaned against the adjacent dumpster and waited patiently for Cana to decide if she wanted to elaborate. She understood not wanting to talk about things but it didn't hurt to wait and offer an ear.

Cana propped herself up on another trash can before looking and Lucy and sighing, "I found Bacchus in his van with some groupie."

It was said casually but Lucy could detect the sting in Cana's voice. She was a little surprised, Bacchus seemed like an alright guy –he drank way too much but then again, so did Cana. Lucy thought it might be for the best though, she knew enough to realize alcoholism probably wasn't the best foundation for a relationship.

Lucy knew it wasn't the right time to give unsolicited advice so she could only think of one word to say but before she got it out Cana interrupted her.

"Don't bother. It happens when you start screwing your drinking buddies," She raised the bottle in the air and said, "To Bacchus; may his wandering dick fall off."

Cana took a long swig before offering the bottle to Lucy.

"Amen," Lucy tried not to giggle at Cana's toast and took a small sip of whiskey and thankfully controlled her gag, "Hey, if you want help trashing his van you can call me." She was mostly joking but decided if that's the only revenge Cana exacted on the guy he would be very lucky.

"That's actually not a bad idea," Cana took the bottle from Lucy and then sloshed some alcohol over the pile of photos. Holding one glossy slip of paper in her hand, she lit the edge on fire and watched it burn before tossing it in the pile with the others. Instantly they were engulfed and the two watched the growing pile of ash.

After a few minutes, Cana's voice took on a serious tone, "Be careful Lucy."

"Hmm?"

"The spotlight…" She paused thoughtfully and turned to face the blonde, "The spotlight…it changes people. It doesn't just light them up…it makes the rest of us disappear."

Lucy didn't say anything as she digested Cana's words.

Cana turned back to the trash can, "Anyway, I need to call my Pops and tell him Bacchus won't be playing tonight. Will you let Mira know I'll make it up to her? She's probably pretty pissed at me right now and I don't wanna go back in."

"Yeah…sure thing."

Cana thanked her and walked away, towards the street. Lucy stood there for a minute to gather her thoughts. What was Cana trying to warn her about? Did she think Natsu was susceptible to the wild excess that celebrities flaunted all over the place? Sex, drugs and rock n' roll, right? She tried imagining Natsu in that lifestyle; it just didn't compute.

Cana knew this was Lucy's first relationship, she might have just felt the need to give the inexperienced girl some advice. It might have been something Cana wished someone had told her before. It was the most serious she'd ever seen the lush and Lucy was honestly a little taken aback.

When she finally focused on what was in front of her, she realized she'd been staring after Cana and had been standing in the alley by herself for a while. Except she wasn't alone; the corner where Cana had disappeared was now occupied by a stranger.

Casually leaning against the wall with their hands in their pockets and their ankles crossed; this person looked slightly familiar to Lucy but she couldn't be sure. She assumed they were male but they were wearing a hoodie and had it pulled up around their face so it could have been anyone. The strangest part was that they were staring right back at Lucy. The blonde felt a weird tingle in her spine and thought about yelling at the person to get lost before changing her mind. They weren't bothering her and they probably thought she looked just as weird; standing in an alley by herself and staring off into space.

She glared off into the distance but the person remained still. Shaking her head she reminded herself that the city was full of weird people and she should get back inside before they tried to talk to her.

After waving off some of the questioning looks she received, Lucy found Mira upstairs on the phone with Gildarts, nodding her head.

"Yeah, most of them are here, I'm sure they won't mind…I'll call some people to fill in for them…Okay, talk to you later, boss."

Before Mira could pick up the phone again, Lucy quickly interjected, "Hey…um…Cana says sorry…"

Mira just shrugged off Lucy's secondhand apology with a sigh, "It's okay, really. It's not the first time and I'm sure it won't be the last," she frowned and sighed again, this time more dramatically, "when romantic relationships end it can be a little…messy. I hope you don't ever go through that, Lucy."

Lucy tried to hide her shocked expression, it was the second time in the past hour someone had alluded to possible heartbreak in her future, and one of them was Mira no less.

"Would you do me a favor and ask Natsu and the boys if they can fill in for Quatro Cerberus tonight? We already have instruments ready, they just need to look through the songs and give me a list before the crowd shows up. I need to call Gajeel and a few others to get them over here soon to help out."

Lucy agreed and went to find Natsu. None of them were particularly surprised at Cana's relationship troubles but they tried not to be overly enthusiastic as a show of respect. They immediately went back stage and started prepping; picking through the songs they'd play then writing down ones that weren't on the current list then testing the instruments and microphones while Laxus was busy setting up the teleprompter.

Lucy and Juvia had told Mira they didn't mind helping out if it was needed, Cana had been on the bartending shift that night but she hadn't come back from wherever she'd gone and three members of security were going to be occupied on stage most of the evening.

It didn't take long before a few of the backups started arriving with a few grumbles about being called in but no one was truly upset. Half of them would have showed up at some point anyway to join in on the party. Lucy would be stationed at the bar with Mira and Loke, Juvia would be waiting tables while Elfman, Gray and Bickslow were tasked with taking over for the three band members.

Lucy nearly dropped a glass bottle on her foot when she saw Levy follow Gajeel through the door with a strange look on her face. They made eye contact and Levy blushed while walking over to sit next to Lucy.

"Hey Levy…if I didn't know any better I'd think you came here with Gajeel…"

"Yeah…he was actually at…my house…when Mira called." The little blunette was a brilliant shade of red.

"What? Wow, you work fast!" Lucy couldn't help herself, after all the teasing she put up with it felt good to be able to dish some out.

"It's not like that!" Levy spluttered a little at her explanation, "He does carpentry in his spare time…I…uh…asked him to make me a…bookshelf…"

"That's a new way to put it, I'll have to pass that one on to Cana…" Levy hit her on the arm, "I'm kidding! Didn't he tell you he made a table for Juvia and I?"

Levy grumbled something into her smoothie and attempted to hide her face while Lucy went back to business and tried not to giggle at her friend.

"Good afternoon, Princess." Loke had snatched up Lucy's hand and gave it a chaste kiss.

Now it was Levy's turn to laugh at Lucy as she took her hand from the flirt, "Hey Loke, I take it you heard?" She wasn't even going to pretend not to know what he meant.

"Of course! I wasn't even surprised, I knew you were special the first time I met you." He put an arm around her shoulder and gave her a cat-like grin before his –and everyone else's faces scrunched up into looks of pain. Someone on stage had caused the microphone to make an ear-splitting sound.

Turning to look at the culprit; Loke groaned loudly, "Geez, it's like that guy has super-human senses or something." It was Natsu was holding the mic of course and shooting a death glare towards the bar.

Loke removed his arm and waved them both in the air as a sign of surrender, laughing at Natsu's facial expression.

"Does anyone actually work at this place?" a new person had appeared next to Levy, speaking gruffly, "I ordered my drink ten minutes ago."

After Loke apologized and gave the man his drink –free of charge, he didn't return to his table. Instead he chose to stare openly at Lucy before asking her, "Are you new? I don't think I've seen you before."

"I just started about a month ago. I don't think I've seen you either." Lucy was already well acquainted with many of Fairy Tail's regulars, even the ones that frequented during first shift. This man in front of her looked nothing like any person she'd seen before.

He was tall and muscular with light brown hair that covered half of his face. The visible eye was slanted with yellow irises and strangely shaped pupils, almost like slits. There were circular tattoos surrounding his eye that crept up towards his forehead. The way he was leering at her, it was almost like he was showing off his extraordinarily pointy teeth.

Lucy wasn't surprised when he told her his name. 'Jackal' seemed fitting as he looked like a predator.


	14. The Light Behind Your Eyes

"So what's your name?"

Lucy did not like this guy at all. Not just because his looks were on the intimidating side but because he seemed like he was trying a little too hard to be friendly. Like he was wearing the skin of a nice person and he found it itchy and uncomfortable. She had no real reason to be cold towards him, he was a customer after all and she _had_ been raised as a lady. It would be out of character for her to be rude to someone, creepy vibe or not so she indulged him and introduced herself.

"So Lucy, what's a beautiful woman like you doing working at a place like this?"

The blonde shared a look with Levy, who was still sitting silently next to 'Jackal'. She couldn't believe he actually said those words; they were like the oldest pickup line in the book. He seemed to share her same line of thought while he grimaced at his drink; he looked a little annoyed, as if the act of picking up women was beneath him.

Lucy raised an eyebrow at him, she decided to ignore the obvious and point out to him that every woman at Fairy Tail was beautiful, a statement that could have been driven home seeing that Mira was standing only a few feet away from her.

"Fairy Tail is like family, I'm very lucky to be here," Lucy gave him a sickly sweet smile; hoping to appease his curiosity and wishing very much that he would leave.

He hummed into his drink and continued staring at her. He seemed bored but when their eyes met she could see something sharp and penetrating in his gaze, like he was looking into her very soul.

_Where the hell is overprotective Natsu when I actually need him? Or Loke? Anybody!_

Her silent prayer was answered when the man suddenly stood up, "I'll see you around, Lucy," he leered at her then disappeared into the crowd. His voice gave her goosebumps.

Levy cleared her throat, "That might have been the creepiest thing I've ever witnessed."

Lucy agreed and was surprised he'd given up so easily, although he did say he'd see her _around_. There was no time to think about some strange guy's motivations though, seeing as how the bar was about to get very busy. The Dragon Slayers were on stage readying their instruments and there was a line forming for karaoke. The drink orders were pouring in and Lucy had to help the waiters before everything got backed up.

More than once she felt a pair of dark yellow eyes following her through the crowd. Her new admirer had a table near the back and was seated by himself; Lucy noted that he didn't order anything past that first drink. She determinedly refused to meet his gaze; there was just something about him that screamed at her to keep away.

While Lucy was dealing with an increased sense of trepidation, Erza found herself in a similar state of mind. The evening had barely begun and already things were getting out of hand. Mace Orlando's manager would be in the building that night and she needed to make sure he left with a good impression. If he wasn't pleased then there was no way Phoenix Grave would come to perform the sendoff show of the tour on their stage. That would have been enough to make anyone anxious, but it hadn't stopped there.

First, Cana had come crashing in with the bad news of needing to find a replacement band –Erza was actually a bit relieved at that –at least she could trust Natsu not to make a drunken mockery of the place. Then, a brawl had been started right outside the entrance that spilled onto the street and into traffic. Erza had shouted herself hoarse in her attempts to subdue everyone – she did _not_ need the police involved this time. If she had to deal with that _man_ on this particular night she just might snap and there would be no survivors.

The red-headed woman currently found herself outside in the parking lot, with her hand covering her face; she was trying very hard not to release her frustrations on the nearest human being. Only a few minutes ago, Lucy had come running to find her, the blonde had taken out the garbage and reported seeing a terrible sight in the parking lot.

"How did no one notice this?" Erza glared at the men on security duty, "What are we paying you for?"

"Destruction of property is not manly." Erza had rounded up the nearest employees and was ready to give them a stern talking to. The parking lot was an absolute mess. Several car windows had been shattered, scattering glass everywhere and there was brand new graffiti decorating the side of the building. The dumpster had been raided, judging by the amount of trash and debris littering the lot and the alleyway.

"You're right Elfman, it could have been a woman," Gray's smirk suddenly disappeared as Erza stepped in front of him.

"Clean this up! I don't want anyone else seeing this," In between shouting orders, Erza continued to grumble about their bad luck. _Of course_ something like this would happen tonight. On top of it all, she did not relish telling the employees about their car windows, Evergreen would go _ballistic_.

Lucy had hastily returned with some supplies for the men and asked, "Should we –you know- call the cops or something?"

Erza paled at the suggestion, "Absolutely not. I prefer to handle these matters myself; we don't need the press getting wind of this." Judging by her facial expression, Lucy thought there might be more to it but she knew better than to pry.

After handing over a broom and cleaning supplies to the employees gathered outside, Lucy quickly returned to the warmth of the bar, not wanting to stick around for Erza's berating. Karaoke was in full swing and Lisanna was currently owning the stage with her rendition of a popular rock ballad.

After cheering loudly for her friend's performance, the blonde was suddenly surrounded by several people.

"Lucy! It's your turn!" Juvia was clutching at her arm trying to tug her away from the bar; the blunette had already sung twice and was becoming a crowd favorite. Lucy secretly wondered if she was trying to make an impression for the competition next week.

Loke had her other arm, "Yeah, come one we need an encore after that show you put on last time!"

"B-but I'm working the bar, I don't have time for this!" Lucy protested but quickly gave up when she saw three grinning faces behind the counter. Mira, Kinana and Lisanna had all taken her position and were shooing her away towards the stage.

_Damn traitors._

Lucy found herself being pushed backstage and lined up in the queue for song selection. When she reached the front, Natsu saw her waiting on the side and came over to her causing the other members to follow and look over their shoulders to discuss her song selection.

"Awesome Luce! What song are we playing?" He made a face when she made her choice, "Aw that's a slow one, booooring."

"No it's not! Did you forget there's a guitar solo?"

"Yeah, Natsu it's a crowd pleaser too, I'm sure everyone will be clapping along."

"It's a good change of pace," Rogue agreed, "I'll take over keyboards for this one."

Lucy felt a little smug after Rogue and Sting's approval, and stuck her tongue out at Natsu's pouting face.

The band resumed their positions and waited for Lucy to signal she was ready.

Her face was already red; as soon as she'd stepped center stage, Gajeel had shouted, "Oi! Get ready for Bunny-girl!" She definitely had the room's attention now and she'd received lots of hoots and hollers with references to her last time on stage.

Giving herself a second to compose herself after the outburst she gave them the signal. Rogue and Gajeel started the song off with a slow drum beat and keyboard rhythm while Sting and Natsu were encouraging the crowd to clap along.

When Lucy reached the chorus she heard Natsu's guitar next to her and looked over to see his bored expression. After sending a glare at him, she was mollified by the crowd's enthusiasm. Loke had put Levy on his shoulders and they, along with Juvia were encouraging the people nearest them to sing along. She then had to force herself not to laugh when she heard Sting join in behind her. He had taken it upon himself to sing the backup vocals in a high pitch very unlike his normal voice, much to the delight of several girls at the front of the stage. Natsu's goofy grin had reappeared now that he had a new form of entertainment and while he was snickering, Lucy glanced over to see Rogue; the words _please kill me now_ written plainly across his face. Lucy didn't even need to look at Gajeel to know he was scowling.

Lucy couldn't help but smile and launched herself into the song with new vigor, deciding she would try giving Natsu a taste of his own medicine. She turned to face him and sang the lyrics, repeating them to him while he started his solo.

Natsu knew he must have a ridiculous expression on his face but couldn't find it in himself to care. It took all his concentration to keep his mind on his guitar strings and not on the angelic being singing to him. He thought his heart might stop right there on the stage when she had walked around him, trailing her hand across his shoulders and crooning those words.

Natsu felt like the past few weeks had changed him forever. Before, he'd had Happy, his music and everyone at Fairy Tail and he'd thought his life couldn't have improved much even if he had wished for it. But then Lucy came shrieking into his life and suddenly he knew he'd been missing something.

It was hard to pinpoint exactly when he'd realized it, there were so many small moments that the two had shared so far. He remembered the feel of her lips on his cheek when she'd said goodbye after they'd spent hours watching the city lights, or before that even when she'd placed a perfect kick right to Bora's ribcage. He'd never seen anything so beautiful, she had looked like an angel -a scary, vengeful one- but an angel nonetheless and afterwards she'd looked up at him with that smile and then bought him _food_.

 _That's it_ , he told himself, _that was the moment_. He was a goner, right then.

It didn't help that she was abso-freaking-lutely gorgeous. Watching her mouth move with the lyrics he thought it should be a sin to have lips shaped like hers…and then the way her skin felt underneath his fingers… and how could he not notice the way her skirt moved when she swayed her hips? His mind conjured up his very first image of her, hands and knees scraped against the sidewalk, her face screwed up in anger and yanking at her dress that had flown above her waist. He'd had the perfect view of the red strip of lace across her backside that barely concealed her creamy white skin…

He blushed at the memory, suddenly remembering that he was on stage, in the middle of a performance and if he didn't put a lid on his thoughts he was going to really embarrass himself. He couldn't believe he'd let his thoughts stray so far, he'd never been so distracted in his life.

Natsu blamed the way she was looking at him right now. Her golden hair fanned around her shoulders like a halo and her warm brown eyes wide and shining with excitement. She was smiling flirtatiously, and she looked so happy. He loved that he was partly responsible for that. He loved how brave she was for running away and coming here –they never would have met otherwise. He loved…everything about her. He loved…

His fingers slipped off the fret-board, and he was now thankful that the song was not guitar-centric. He grinned cheekily to hide his embarrassment and hoped no one had noticed his little slip up.

_Leave it to me to have some sort of epi…episode? No…epiphany…on_ _**stage** _ _of all places._

Lucy suddenly felt shy, she'd been singing to him, their eyes locked on one another when she felt her face burning for some reason. The way he was looking at her, it felt too intimate to share with a crowd of people. She had been watching the changes in his face during the song and couldn't help but wonder what he could possibly be thinking. He had shifted from boredom to glee, then when she directed her singing at him he seemed dazed for a moment before his mouth curled up into a look of smug satisfaction. Before Lucy could even wonder what _that_ meant, his dark eyes had widened and his cheeks tinged pink. She definitely had to ask him about that later.

Natsu barely noticed when the song had ended, he hadn't been able to look at Lucy in the eyes for the rest of it and it had nothing to do with his mistake.

The blonde next to him bowed to the cheering crowd and did something he did not expect. Lucy had been pretty shy in the p.d.a. department up til then so when she pulled his face to hers and pressed their lips together in a tender, close-mouthed kiss, to say he was surprised would be an understatement. He barely had a moment to register the softness of her hands as she caressed his cheeks before she pulled away and with another bow, hopped off the stage.

She left him standing there, dumbstruck while she made her way to the bar. The blonde had no idea what had suddenly overcame her to kiss Natsu that way in front of _everyone_. The way he'd been looking at her, like he was a blind man seeing the stars for the first time. Lucy had been overcome with an unfamiliar feeling.

She was at the bar now, with a burning face and stuttering heart and she just couldn't stop smiling.

"Wow Lucy, that was something," Mira eyes were sparkling as she nudged the blonde's hip, "if you do that for the competition you'll have the crowd eating out of your hands."

"Wh-what? It was just a kiss…"

"You could totally cut the sexual tension with a knife!" Lisanna had appeared at her sister's shoulder.

"Natsu was definitely eye-fucking you up there," Evergreen was walking past with a tray of drinks and decided to give her opinion on the matter before slinking back into crowd.

The two white-haired siblings burst into giggles at Lucy's expression. She wished she could dig a hole and disappear into the ground.

"He –he was not!"

"Maybe…but he sure is now!" Lisanna pointed behind the blonde, the band was taking a break and Natsu was making a beeline towards the bar.

"You know Lisanna…I just remembered something…didn't I see you at the boardwalk last weekend with-" A well-manicured hand was promptly thrown across Lucy's mouth. Wide blue eyes scanned the area hoping Mira was too busy filling an order to listen, "Shhhhhhh!" it sounded like a hiss.

"What? Can't handle a taste of your own medicine?" Lucy smiled sweetly and tried to hide a smirk.

"No! I just –I have to _live_ with Mira. If you think being teased at the bar is bad, imagine what it would be like if she had access to your room!"

"Eeek. You're right. I'm sorry." Lucy patted her shoulder sympathetically.

"Somebody die or somethin'?" Natsu slung an arm around Lucy's waist.

"Only if you-know-who finds out you-know-what!" Lisanna stuck her tongue out and tried to look threatening.

"Oh ho you mean you and Bi-," the last word of the boy's sentence was muffled by a rag in the face and a loud "shut up!" from his childhood friend.

When the pair recovered from their giggling fit, Nastu started pulling Lucy outside explaining, "I don't have much time, I want some fresh air before I go back on."

Lucy realized those words were just an excuse when she was pressed against the back alley wall with strong, warm lips encompassing her own. Natsu kissed her with such force she thought she might break underneath his grip and the blonde was positive she'd have ten small bruises around her waist the next day. Lucy tangled her fingers in the soft pink spikes while one of his legs found its way between her thighs to bring her even closer to him. His hands rubbed their way up her sides, brushing roughly across the sides of her breasts, causing her body to ache in unfamiliar ways. When Natsu broke the kiss to gulp for air, Lucy greedily lunged for his neck, trailing hot kisses up the side until she reached his ear where she nibbled the soft flesh between her teeth, earning a soft groan from her partner.

He ran a hand up the side of her face to cup her cheek and after another steamy kiss, he whispered softly, "I'm gonna miss you, Luce."

Lucy bit her lip, thinking how this wild and impulsive boy could be so sweet and marveled at how effectively he'd managed to capture her heart, "I'll miss you too."

The couple, completely absorbed in one another, was blissfully unaware of the pair of slanted yellow eyes watching them from a shadowed corner.


	15. Ultraviolence

The days leading up to the big weekend were a complete nightmare. The competition was on a Friday and it had been decided that the sendoff show would be at Fairy Tail the next night. Mace Orlando's manager was pleased with what the venue had to offer and ever since his visit they'd been bombarded with something new every day. The stage, lighting and sound equipment needed to be upgraded, larger amps were to be installed and the dressing rooms required new furniture. And those were just the _small_ problems.

Brawls were erupting more often, usually on the street and the destruction on karaoke night wasn't the last time property damage had occurred. A lot of the employees had started leaving their cars down the block because there seemed to be a vandal targeting the bar's parking lot. Much to Erza's irritation, the police had been called twice that week.

The first being two days after karaoke, when Bacchus had come bursting in and caused a huge scene in the middle of casino night. He was rip-roaringly drunk and had forced himself past the doormen and began shouting at Cana and anyone else that tried to talk to him. No one was quite sure what his purpose was, he was obviously pissed about his van (Cana had taken Lucy's words to heart and poured sugar down the tank along with flattening a tire or two) and he alternated between slurring about repair costs and blubbering about how he needed to see his 'wild' woman. Cana was not impressed and upended her blackjack table on top of him when he tried to approach her then promptly retired to her father's office with a bottle of tequila for the rest of the evening.

Unfortunately for Gray, he had been the first man on the scene and found out exactly how big of a threat the drunken Bacchus posed. He took a fist to the face so hard, he had trouble seeing straight for two whole days. Gray called it a fist, but it really wasn't, it was more like the open-palmed martial arts shit that he used to make fun of. It definitely wasn't funny after that night. Erza was the one that finally managed to snatch him by the hair and drag him outside where Elfman sat on him until the squad car arrived.

Gray missed the whole thing; he woke up later that night on Juvia's lap thinking he'd gone blind. He would have been happy if that had been the worst thing that happened.

Early yesterday morning, right after closing, a young woman had been brutally attacked just down the block. She was a patron of the bar; everyone reported seeing her there that evening with friends, but she'd apparently left alone. Someone, a man it was assumed, had forced her down an alley and slammed her head against a dumpster. The poor girl's nose had been broken along with several ribs after the assailant had kicked her in the stomach repeatedly. After being questioned by the police it was revealed that the attacker hadn't said a single word through the whole ordeal.

The part that had everyone disturbed the most was that the bastard had marked her skin with a trail of cigarette burns. They hadn't stolen her purse, the assault wasn't sexual and as far as the girl knew she had no enemies; it was decided that some sicko had resolved to get his kicks by tormenting an innocent person.

Although it was a large city made popular by its unique night life, Magnolia was known to be relatively safe. Sure, there were drugs and various wrongdoings by the street trash but violent crimes had never been prevalent. Everyone was put on edge and Gray had a burning knot in his stomach. He'd seen the report on the news and the girl that had been attacked -she was beautiful and blonde- and looked too much like a good friend of his for it to be anywhere near comfortable.

After the assault, the local police chief offered several of his men as additional security until the Phoenix Grave show was finished. They were blaming the increased attention on the bar drawing in a larger, more diverse crowd as a possible reason behind all the new occurrences.

Erza had also brought in a few new people since most of Fairy Tail's muscle was being sent on tour. Sting's cousin Rufus and their friends Orga and Dobengal were joining security while they were away in addition to Gray's acquaintance Lyon. The two had been talking and found out they'd briefly lived in the same foster house when they'd been young. At first Gray was reluctant to drudge up old memories but Lyon was friendly and –when he wasn't hitting on Juvia- Gray actually liked his company. Lyon's friend Toby would also be helping out, he was a little weird but proved to be reliable.

The dark-haired man was outside, at his usual smoking spot, when he saw Bacchus approaching. He was about to call for assistance when he saw one of the police officers pull the drunk off to the side, Gray thought it was the one named Ren. He watched them talking, Bacchus had shown up every night since he'd been released from county, probably trying to get back into everyone's good graces before the tour. Quatro Cerberus' agent had threatened to remove the band from the lineup and replace them with Mermaid Heel if the front man didn't straighten himself out before the tour buses left the following night.

He tried not to be judgmental of the man, Gray had his own addictions and, flicking some ash onto the sidewalk, could only be thankful that he wasn't much of a drinker.

Gray frowned while watching the interaction and thought about how substance abuse had managed to destroy his little family. However dysfunctional they'd been, he had loved his foster-mother and sister. After being taken away from an abusive father and shuffled through the system he'd found Ur and Ultear, they weren't perfect, neither was he, but they all managed to accept each other. After the two of them died he promised himself he wouldn't let anyone that close to him again. Why open yourself up to more emotional hardship...he'd take physical discomfort any day, it actually helped him deal with his inner demons.

When he'd first met Natsu, they'd both been itching for a fight. Natsu's father had just died and all it took was one smart-ass comment from Gray and their strange relationship was born. When either of them felt frustrated, angry or eventually just plain bored, they would distract each other with fists. And now Gray's favorite emotional outlet was leaving for three whole months. Natsu may be a royal pain in the ass most of the time but Gray would be a liar if he said he wouldn't miss the idiot.

He would probably have to pay a visit to his tattoo artist Reedus to help him through the next several months if his issues started up again. The pain of the needle on skin felt good, it was better than acknowledging the tension in his chest that had slowly grown stronger the last few weeks.

Gray was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the door opening and saw Juvia coming towards him. He quickly lit up another cigarette and prayed to the nicotine gods that this stick between his fingers would help calm his nerves.

Why did he agree to this again? That's right…a blonde demon threatened him.

Although, as much as Gray protested, he couldn't deny that a part of himself wanted to be the cause of one of Juvia's smiles. Remembering all those months when he'd avoided her somber gaze at the bar made Gray feel like a class-a dick. She had been smiling so much more lately, especially around him and Lucy. Her new happiness was even affecting Gajeel, which was the real achievement.

Juvia was open and honest about her feelings, she was a little too emotional at times and somewhat obsessive but she was definitely growing on Gray. It didn't help matters that she was an excellent cook…and kisser. He wanted to keep pushing her away, he'd never admit it but he didn't want her to think less of him if she found out his true thoughts.

She'd somehow managed to find it in her heart to accept the wrong that had been done to her and forgive herself and others which was something Gray had a difficult time considering. She'd told him that his words had helped her do that, he wasn't sure how, seeing as he still clutched his anger to himself like an anchor. It weighed him down and kept him unmoving. To let it go would mean he'd start feeling again and that was frightening.

"How's your eye?" Juvia placed a hand on his arm in a friendly gesture. She'd asked him that same question every day and he always gave the same answer.

"I've had worse." It was a lie.

He winced a little when she cupped his cheek to get a good look at the bruise. Gray managed to smile down at her, remembering how he'd use to run and hide whenever he saw that periwinkle hair of hers poking out from around a corner. Things really had changed.

"I saw Bacchus a few times in Hargeon at a training facility but I never watched him fight before."

"I wish you had, you might have been able to warn me. That guy is insane." Gray looked over to where Ren was standing, Bacchus appeared to have given up early tonight and left.

Juvia agreed and the two fell into an awkward silence. It was obvious Gray was stalling, after months of trying to work up the nerve to talk to him during his breaks Juvia knew he never took this long.

Gray suddenly flicked the butt of his smoke into an ashtray and said a little too loudly, "Alright! You ready?"

Juvia giggled at Gray's obviously forced enthusiasm and followed him inside. The competition had already started and the current performers were Loke and Sting. Everyone had been surprised when the two announced they'd be partners but it was even more surprising seeing how well they complemented each other on stage. So far the competition was stiff, the girls in the crowd were swooning for the two playboys and earlier, Mira and Lisanna had stunned everyone with a powerful pop ballad. Natsu and Lucy hadn't gone yet, the blonde was drinking with Cana while the over-confident idiot was jeering at the two men on stage.

Juvia was pulling Gray backstage by the arm, she was practically hopping with excitement. Gray smirked as they passed by Lyon, who had also been roped into the competition by a young woman named Sherry; at least he wasn't the only one.

Gray was thankful that his portion of the song was at the beginning and once he got through it he could stand there and watch Juvia woo the crowd with her talent. More than a few people had asked her to be their partner but she'd told them the only one for her was Gray.

He had no idea what she saw in him, she was selfless, loving and confident and he…he was a mess.

When their song started, Gray could see what the pink-haired bastard had been talking about. Being on stage with a beautiful woman singing to you, it was something else entirely. Juvia had always flirted with him, but it was usually shy and a little awkward but overwhelmingly endearing all the same.

This was different, the song was flirtatious and cheeky and Juvia was laying on the sex appeal like she was determined to seduce him in front of every person he knew. The crowd absolutely loved it and he definitely saw Mira jumping around excitedly when Juvia had pressed her hands to his chest and ran them up his body. It had taken all his willpower not to melt into a flustered puddle on stage at that moment.

His partner took his hand in hers and they both bowed to a cheering crowd when it was over. Gray decided it wasn't _that_ bad and he probably wouldn't mind doing it again, maybe he'd even pick the song next time.

Juvia's face was flushed and her heart pounding. She felt like she'd just bared her soul for the whole bar to see and was relieved that Gray wasn't running for the hills. In fact, he hadn't pulled away from their hand-hold and had actually given her a squeeze. She couldn't believe how far she'd gotten. Not just with Gray but everything in general. Only a few years ago she'd been sitting on street corners and in parks singing for charity while Gajeel strummed his guitar. Fairy Tail was her new home and she would never be able to thank them enough for accepting her.

A sudden boldness tugged at Juvia and she stopped to look up at Gray, "Thank you…for that. I know you didn't want to…but it meant a lot to me."

She forced herself not to look from Gray's eyes as she said this, and then standing on the tips of her toes she leaned forward, planning to press a kiss onto his cheek. She saw his eyes widen slightly and then felt his fingers on her chin, guiding her lips only a few inches from their intended destination. Juvia felt the world around them slow down as his lips found hers and slowly melded them together. It was gentle and sweet and nothing like the clumsy drunken tryst from the month before.

She double-checked herself to make sure that she was definitely sober and awake and judging by the look on Gray's face she hadn't imagined it.

He had broken the kiss and was fidgeting nervously with his necklace, cheeks aflame. Gray looked about to say something when he was shoved from behind. Natsu had come bursting backstage and was yelling about something but Gray had gone deaf for the moment. He'd stumbled forward into Juvia and had every intention of stopping himself from knocking her over, either by grabbing an arm or shoulder but his brain had stuttered to a halt during their kiss and his reflexes betrayed him. He realized this when he saw Juvia's face and then registered the feeling in his hand. He looked down and instantly pulled away from Juvia's chest as if he'd been burned.

"S-sorry! I –uh…" Gray rubbed his head furiously then, in an attempt to hide his embarrassment, turned around to yell, "You slanty-eyed fuck! You made me violate Juvia! I'm gonna kill you!" He grabbed Natsu by the collar and started shaking him.

Juvia, still a little shocked could only say, "I -I don't mind you touching me."

The two men in front of her stopped abruptly. Gray was slack-jawed and Juvia could hear a furious 'fufufu' behind her and saw Lucy with her hand over her mouth barely containing her mirth.

Juvia replayed the words in her mind and instantly her face went scarlet. It had sounded _so_ much better in her head.

"We'll leave you guys to it then! We've got a competition to win!" Natsu yanked himself out of Gray's clutches, gave him a thumbs-up and pulled Lucy away towards the stage.

They stared at each other awkwardly before almost simultaneously shouting, "E-excuse me!" and "Uh –see ya later!" before running in opposite directions.

Juvia couldn't believe it. He had actually initiated the kiss, she was just going to peck him on the cheek! And then _he_ changed her course! It had taken everything she had not to squeal and burst into a puddle at his feet. What did it mean? And then he grabbed her boob! She'd have to find some way to reward Natsu for that –however unintentional it had been she couldn't stop herself from feeling pleased.

She wound her way through the crowd back to the bar, practically dancing, and intent on throwing herself back into her duties. Nothing would bring her down from this high and she wanted to use the adrenaline to help out the overworked waiters.

She found Loke cleaning up a table and decided to help him. Despite his stellar performance not too long ago he looked to be in a foul mood.

"Hey, what happened to you?" Juvia didn't think she'd ever seen him without a flirtatious smile plastered across his features.

He huffed and gestured to a corner, "It's that guy. He's getting on my nerves." Following his finger, she saw a tall blond man leaning against a pillar, drink in hand. He was watching the stage intently, where Lucy and Natsu were readying their performance. She'd seen him before but she never talked to him. Juvia raised an eyebrow, waiting for Loke to continue.

"He's always staring at Lucy and it's pissing me off."

"Er –isn't that something that should bother Natsu, not you?"

"I don't think the idiot realizes."

"Well…staring isn't exactly a crime…"

"It is if it's making Lucy uncomfortable."

Juvia hadn't heard a thing about this, "What do you mean, has she complained?"

"I heard her talking with Levy last week so I started watching him. He's always here when it's busiest, hardly ever buys anything and is always somewhere near Lucy. She said she even saw him down the street once, when she was walking with you to the car."

Juvia's mouth opened but she didn't have any words. She wondered why Lucy hadn't said anything and what the guy's problem might be. She decided to start keeping an eye on him too.

She helped Loke take the empty glasses and trash back to the kitchen and then paused to watch Natsu and Lucy sing. Natsu had chosen slow rock song, the two were on stage, sharing a microphone stand while Natsu strummed his guitar and Lucy swayed to the music. It was more sensual than their first time on stage together, this time Juvia could see both of them sharing a burning gaze across the microphone and Lucy was taking full opportunity to run her hands along Natsu's arms. The poor boy looked like he couldn't decide if he was in heaven or hell. If Juvia didn't know how shy Lucy could be she thought the blonde was about to rip off her partner's clothes and ravish him against one of the large amps on either side of them.

She cheered along with everyone else when they finished and laughed at the way Natsu practically threw his guitar off him and pulled Lucy backstage. It didn't take much imagination to know what they'd be doing the rest of the night. Chuckling, Juvia went back to work waiting tables.

Not much later, after she cleaned up a particularly messy table she decided to take out the trash when she got back into the kitchen. No one was back there; Vijeeter and Laki were currently on stage doing a very strange mix of song and dance, and it had the entire place absolutely riveted.

Juvia hauled the trash bag over her shoulder and pushed open the heavy back door with her side. The first dumpster was already filled to the brim so she walked towards the far end of the alley to find another one. After she tossed it the large metal bin, she heard someone behind her.

"Hey, darling." She knew that voice. It gave her chills.

Turning around to face him, she coldly stated, "Bora," she nodded at him and started moving towards the door. A hand slammed the dumpster next to her, blocking her path.

"Is that all you have to say? No, 'it's been a long time baby' or 'I've missed you'?" Juvia glared at him, he always was full of himself.

"It hasn't been that long and I'm proud to say I haven't missed you at all." The last time she'd seen this face it had been sneering at her from the backseat of a cop car.

The man in front of her frowned, he was wearing a dark hoodie that partially covered his face. But she didn't need to see underneath that hood to know what he looked like. Bloodshot eyes and pale, sagging skin. Juvia thought sadly about how he had been such a charmer before the drugs had taken hold.

One of his cold hands reached out and ran a finger down her cheek and tugged at a strand of hair, "You're looking good. Cleaned yourself up, have you?"

"Yes, I have. Now leave me alone. I need to get back to work," she was standing up straight and staring at the blackness where she knew his eyes would be. She tried not shiver at the cold wind nipping her arms.

Bora laughed, "You've gotten bolder. That's actually pretty hot."

Juvia scowled at him and shoved his arm away. She needed to get back inside and soon, before he decided to show his true colors. Why was he out here anyways? The last time he'd been spotted near Fairy Tail Natsu had beaten him to a pulp and left him unconscious in an alley, with Lucy's help. If he was looking for people to mug, this alley was the worst possible place for him to lurk.

"Hold up a minute, honey. I need you to do something for me. But first, we're going to have some fun."

Before Juvia had ever even seen Gray, she'd been with Bora. In her drug addled mind, he was a good choice. He was a familiar face from the orphanage and he'd become a dealer. He'd get her high and she would repay him with her body. It worked for a while, until he made enemies and couldn't make a living by selling anymore. He'd take his anger out on Juvia and she was helpless in her withdrawing state.

Eventually, Gajeel got wind of the situation and beat the snot out of the guy and managed to get him carted off to jail for possession. Shortly after that, was when Juvia reached rock bottom and wanted to end her life. But after hearing Gray's impassioned speech, she got into rehab and took self-defense classes. She promised herself she'd never be helpless again.

She reminded herself of this when Bora grabbed her roughly by the shoulders in an attempt to stop her from moving towards the door. He leaned forward and was so close she could feel his stinking breath on her neck. He dragged a hand down her stomach and was about to slide it in her pants when she suddenly stomped on his foot with all the force she could muster.

He leapt back in shock; the Juvia he knew only cried and begged. She took this opportunity to slam a fist into the center of his throat. He let out a choking gasp and doubled over, clutching his neck. Juvia grabbed him by the hood and brought a knee up to his face, the resounding crack when she felt his nose give way was probably the most satisfying thing she'd ever heard.

She ran towards the other end of the alley, but it wasn't fast enough. Bora had recovered quickly and managed to catch her arm. He roughly threw her into a cluster of metal garbage cans.

"You fucking bitch!" He was still half clutching his throat and the words were barely audible. Juvia had hit her head against the brick wall and was having a hard time focusing. His hood had come off and she could see a stream of blood flowing from his nose into his mouth. He spat the red substance out at her before snatching her up again.

"I was going to be nice, too. I just wanted a quickie for old time's sake, but you had to go and be brave. Now you're gonna pay!"

He held her by the back of her head and slammed her bodily into the dumpster before pulling her back again and using all his strength to shove her onto the ground. She had enough awareness at this point to put her hand out to try and stop her face from hitting the asphalt, but she landed awkwardly and felt a sharp pain shoot up her arm. Juvia managed to let out a scream before Bora dragged her to face him and put a hand over her mouth. He was straddled on top of her, pinning her with the weight of his body and was about to use his free hand to strike a blow to her stomach.

"When I'm through with you, you're gonna tell that blonde slut that she fucked with the wrong people. She-"

Before Bora could finish, Juvia felt the weight on top of her vanish. She moaned and tried to sit up against the wall as she heard the sickening sounds of fighting. Soft flesh meeting hard knuckles, cracking bone on concrete and the splattering of blood against brick.

Light suddenly flooded the alley way as the door opened and several people rushed out. A shadow was cast along the wall and Juvia could see that someone had Bora restrained on the ground and was punching him fiercely in the jaw. She thought she saw Ren, the only one in uniform, and Elfman dragging Gray off of Bora's limp body before someone knelt in front of her.

"Juvia!" Lisanna's sweet face was drawn back in concern as she sat next to her friend and pulled her close. When Lisanna's hand ran down Juvia's arm to try and create some warm friction, the blunette hissed and pulled away in pain.

"I think the bastard broke my arm or something. I fell on it pretty hard."

Lisanna let out a growl of frustration and sent a death glare over to the man lying on the other end of the alley, "There's an ambulance coming, don't worry."

Juvia watched as Ren and another officer cuffed Bora and dragged him over to a squad car. The once dark alley was now illuminated with flashing red and blue lights, they cast strange shadows across the brick walls and almost lulled Juvia into a trance. Her right hand felt numb, her head was throbbing and her ears were still ringing. She jolted her head up suddenly and tried to force herself to stay aware, she knew she probably had a pretty bad concussion.

When Lisanna helped her up and walked her towards the ambulance, she saw Gray sitting on the curb, wiping his knuckles and talking with an extremely short, odd man. Erza was standing nearby looking very unlike herself; her face a mixture of anger and disgust. She blamed herself. How could something like this have happened on her watch? Even with additional security, no one had been near the alley way. If Gray hadn't been outside smoking and heard Juvia's scream, things may have been much worse.

The paramedics descended on Juvia as the ambulance drove them to the hospital. A few hours later, after many tests and xrays, she was left to sit on the edge of a bed in the emergency room, staring down at her casted wrist.

Earlier, she'd been questioned by a familiar face, it turns out the blond that flirted with Lucy all those weeks ago was a detective. Hibiki asked her about Bora and their relationship and why she thought he might want to hurt her after all this time. She honestly had no idea; she'd been so stunned by her head hitting the brick wall she hadn't really been able to concentrate on his words. He'd asked her if she thought he might be responsible for the attack on the young girl a few days earlier. She really couldn't say.

There was a knock on the open door and someone approached her, when they passed by the curtain she saw it was Gray. He had a bandage on his hand and he looked like he was about to be sick. Juvia tried to hide her face by staring at her feet, she didn't want him seeing her hurt.

"Juvia…I-I'm sorry. I should have…stayed near you…after…I had wondered where you'd gone…" He was taking slow steps towards her when Juvia held out her left hand for him to take.

"It's not your fault Gray. You're the one that came when you heard me, after all." Grays arm wrapped around her back as she leaned her head into his chest while he stroked her hair.

They didn't need words to tell each other how they were feeling. It was one of the reasons why Gray was becoming more and more comfortable with Juvia. She understood he didn't like to talk much; she'd offer a comforting smile and let him decide when he wanted to open up to her.

They stayed like this until they heard someone clear their throat loudly. Gray jumped and was startled to see a glaring Gajeel in the doorway.

"Gajeel?" Juvia was relieved to see her oldest friend. He'd seen her in worse condition than this so it wasn't as embarrassing.

"Yeah, I'm your ride, kid. The doc said you can go."

Gray said goodbye to Juvia but was stopped in the doorway by a large hand on his shoulder.

Gajeel stuck out his other hand, "Bora is a fucking piece of shit. I'm kinda pissed I didn't get to wail on him this time but I'm glad one of us did. Juvia's lucky to have you around."

"Yeah…I guess she is." Gray looked a little uncomfortable and felt almost like he'd earned the blessing of a father or something. They shook hands and Gajeel went back in the room to sit across from Juvia.

He stared at her for a minute before he said, "You look like shit."

Juvia laughed, it was exactly what she expected of him, "Well you would know, wouldn't you?"

He smirked at her, "Bora's got a broken nose and his windpipe was damaged pretty bad…Gray said he'd already been hurt by the time he reached the alley. I take it that was you?" Juvia nodded. "Good job, kid."

They sat in silence for a while before he opened his mouth again, she knew what was coming.

"Did they give you pain meds?"

"Nothing strong, I don't really need them. You know pills were never my thing anyways."

"I know. But I promised I'd look out for you. We're the only ones left. All it takes is one little tumble and you're back on the old path."

Juvia forced herself not to smile too much. Words of wisdom coming from Gajeel? Where was a hidden camera when you needed it?

"Alright, let's get you home."

When they pulled up to the apartment, Juvia noticed the lights were off, "Where's Lucy?"

Gajeel chuckled, "No ones seen her _or_ the flaming idiot since they ran off stage earlier."

Juvia smiled widely, "Well at least _someone_ is having a good time tonight."


End file.
